THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 28, 1996 TAG: 9610250040
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 26 lines
Your Oct. 6 MetroNews story detailed efforts being made to tie the new MacArthur Center to the rest of downtown Norfolk. I was amazed to find no mention of the Wells Theater or its Tazewell Street location.
The Virginia Stage Company, having hitched its wagon to the beautifully restored Wells Theater building, has brought people downtown who seldom came otherwise. Restaurant coupons have encouraged subscribers to spend more hours and dollars before heading back to suburbia.
Right now, because of mall construction, the Wells and its patrons face a parking crisis. If evening theatergoers are asked to walk to and from lots on Boush Street, will they feel safe enough to subscribe next year?
It will be tragic if grandiose future plans cause financial trouble for a group that has grown stronger each year and is playing a major role in the area. The city could and should help to solve the parking problem by providing trolleys or other solutions. And the Wells and Tazewell Street must be part of any plan for a unified, spruced-up downtown Norfolk.
SUSAN Q. WAGNER
Virginia Beach, Oct. 11, 1996 by CNB