Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 1, 1993 TAG: 9304010110
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C3 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: CAROLYN CLICK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
MARTINSVILLE CIVIC CENTER PLANS UNVEILED
Two Martinsville entrepreneurs unveiled plans Wednesday to transform an abandoned J.C. Penney store into a regional civic center that could seat up to 1,200 people.Michael Yarnall and Smith Doyle Jr., partners in One Mind Productions, believe the location at the Patrick Henry Mall in Martinsville will be an ideal forum for trade shows, concerts, car and boat shows, theater productions and conferences.
"This will fill a niche in the community," said Doyle.
J.C. Penney moved out of the mall three and a half years ago and relocated in the city's new Liberty Fair Mall.
"With Liberty Fair Mall, this will probably never be a strong retail location again," said Doyle.
But R.C. Realty Corp., which owns Patrick Henry Mall, doesn't necessarily see that as a disadvantage.
"We just saw 220,000 square feet of concrete and steel that has a lot of potential," said Bill Vaughn, vice president of R.C. Realty, owned by the Roy Stone family.
R.C. Realty is leasing the first floor of the old J.C. Penney store to Yarnall and Doyle for the civic center, while the second floor has been leased for storage.
"We are solely responsible for [refurbishing] the inside of the structure," said Yarnall, who lives in Roanoke but plans to relocate to Martinsville.
While the brown carpet will come up, one thing that will stay are the 40-odd columns that line aisles throughout the space. Some of those columns still have signs that once directed customers to various departments within the store.
The partners say they hope to work around the columns, using them to their advantage in setting up stages or a theater-in-the-round.
The fledgling civic center already has two dates booked, both connected to events at the Martinsville Speedway.
On April 24, race car fans can dine with drivers in the Hanes 500 Grand National stock car race at a dinner to benefit the Grand National Drivers' Wives' Auxiliary.
Some of the drivers have agreed to participate, Yarnall said, although he said he could not provide specifics.
On May 7, a similar dinner will be held before the Miller Genuine Draft 500, also to benefit the auxiliary.
The pair also are looking for help from the community in identifying prospects for events. They hope to work with Patrick Henry Community College, the Virginia Museum of Natural History and the Piedmont Arts Association in bringing events to the center.
They apparently already have the community's moral support. City Manager Earl Reynolds and Mayor Allan McClain showed up, albeit a bit late, for Wednesday's news conference.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING