Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, December 25, 1994 TAG: 9412270041
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV16 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
David A. Lowry, an architect whose office is in Pittsburgh, Pa., went through the theater building earlier this month to examine its prospects as a cultural arts center for this part of the New River Valley.
He said the building, which closed as a movie theater after 53 years at the end of 1991, is structurally in better shape than many other theater facilities that groups in other communities hope to restore.
``This is a lot more viable than a lot of projects I've looked at. This could be a nice little theater,'' Lowry said.
Its long, narrow interior and its flat ceiling allow sound from the stage to carry throughout the seating area, he found. ``This could really be a superior hall acoustically, I think,'' he said.
The existing heating system is a weak point, he said. It will not be able to distribute heat evenly as it now exists. ``That means people are going to be ...'' He pondered a few seconds over diplomatic phrasing. ``... Differentially comfortable.''
Lowry recommended that the restoration group concentrate first on the stage. The theater could reopen with covers on its seats, for instance, and improve those as time goes on, but the stage is where the action will be.
A number of curtains, as well as a fire curtain, will have to be added to the stage area. The Friends' group is thinking about extending the stage farther out, to where it was when the facility was built in 1911 for stage shows and opened as the Elks Theatre.
The building became a dry goods store from the late 1920s until it opened as a movie theater in 1938. The stage was cut back at that time.
A movie screen that can be raised would also be necessary if films are to be shown again, along with live productions and lectures. The existing screen was in fairly good shape until vandals got into the building in recent months and sliced it up.
After the movie theater had closed in 1992, its owners donated the building to Pulaski County. Since then, it has been considered for use as a teen center and for temporary county office space while the county's courthouses were being renovated and expanded. But it was used for neither of those purposes.
In September 1993, the county Board of Supervisors appointed the Friends' organization as its agent in working on the building. When a supervisor suggested a few months ago that consideration be given to demolishing it to provide downtown parking, the organization asked for clarification of its status.
That debate resulted in a formal assurance from the board that it would not consider eliminating the building for two years, on the condition that the Friends start its restoration program within that time.
Actually, the Friends' representatives had already been busy with preliminary work. They visited the restored Paramount Theatre in Bristol, Tenn., as well as ongoing projects like the Lincoln Theatre in Marion.
They joined the League of Historic American Theaters, which sponsored this first visit by Lowry with the Friends paying travel expenses.
The Friends secured a $30,000 grant from the C.E. Richardson Foundation effective when they raise their first $100,000. The town of Pulaski also contributed $10,000 to the project.
They have had discussions with Richard Rose, artistic director for Barter Theatre in Abingdon, and Louis C. Smith, a visitor to Pulaski with experience in entertainment programs in this country and others. But Lowry's visit marks the first time they brought in their own consultant.
They have donated hundreds of volunteer hours, and made major repairs to a leaking roof. Pulaski Tinning donated materials and labor to that work.
Fund-raising efforts for the restoration are expected to get under way in 1995.
by CNB