In the Spotlight
Once Slated for Demolition, Philadelphia's Boyd Theater Takes Center Stage.
By Jared Keller | Online Only | Nov. 21, 2008
Architect's rendering of the renovated Boyd and Kimpton Hotel tower
Credit: Martinez & Johnson Architects
On Christmas Day, the art deco diva of Philadelphia cinema will celebrate its 80th birthday. This year, for the first time since the 1928 Boyd Theater closed in May 2002, a happy ending is in sight.
Last week, the city's historical commission literally applauded a local developer's plan to renovate the city landmark and build a swooping, 28-story Kimpton Monaco hotel behind the stage. The commission voted unanimously on Nov. 14 to grant ARCWheeler the permits it needs for the $135 million project.
Hailed by preservation groups, ARCWheeler's plans call for the partial demolition of the theater—specifically the area behind the stage's arch, known as the "stage house," where the hotel will join the theater. The developer has signed a sales agreement with Live Nation, its current owner, which will be finalized on or before Jan. 20, 2009.With only the city's zoning board left to sign off on the project, next month, the only remaining hurdle is money.
In granting its approval, the commission added one caveat: "No removal or demolition of the stage house area shall be permitted unless and until the developer has arranged for construction financing of the hotel tower and replacement stage house."
"We're very optimistic," says Hal Wheeler, principal at ARCWheeler and a board member of Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, the company's nonprofit partner. "Even in this bad [economic] time we're in, this project has special considerations that make it the most viable one in Philadelphia." Wheeler expects to begin construction in early 2010.
In its role as the developer's nonprofit partner, the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia will help secure millions of dollars in historic tax credits and also raise donations for the project. ""ARCWheeler is to be commended for creating a very imaginative plan for the preservation of the Boyd Theatre," said John Gallery, executive director of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, in a Nov. 14 statement. "This is the first plan that has combined a faithful restoration of the art deco theatre with a sound economic approach to its operation."
Gallery adds that the financing will likely fall into place next year. "While we're very optimistic about the present deal, no one is relaxed. There are still a lot of pieces of this puzzle that have to be put in place. But there's a different climate now; the political leadership in the city and state are very much behind this project."
Although the city granted landmark status to the Boyd Theater, only the exterior, not the ornate art deco interior, is protected from demolition.
Credit: Copyright Rob Bender
For more than 50 years, the Boyd was a focal point of Philadelphia cultural life and, at times, political uproar. Built for entrepreneur Alexander R. Boyd, the movie house was designed by celebrated theater architects Hoffman-Henon, who built 32 theaters around Philadelphia. Its lobby, lined with expansive etched-glass mirrors, led to a cavernous 2,500-seat auditorium outfitted with dazzling chandeliers, an orchestra pit, and an intricate Kimball pipe organ, which played between shows for the first few years (and lives on in a Delaware high school).
The palace saw its share of stars and their screen gems as a showcase for first-run Warner Brothers films, including "High Noon" in 1952 with star Grace Kelly appearing in person for opening night. "Gone With The Wind" and "The Wizard of Oz" had their exclusive first runs on the Boyd's silver screen.
Carrie Rickey, a Philadelphia Inquirer movie critic who has written extensively on the Boyd, recalls the world premiere of 1993's Academy Award-winning AIDS drama "Philadelphia," when stars "Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks walked into the Boyd, looked around and said, practically in duet, 'Wow, a real movie theater.'"
The theater's darkest days were in 2002, when the owner, who had secured a demolition permit, shut its doors.
In 2005, Clear Channel, Inc. purchased the Boyd and announced an extensive $31 million restoration. The Boyd was transferred to subsidiary Live Nation in 2006, and plans for the theater changed when Live Nation decided to focus on presenting concerts there.
Longtime supporter and architect Shawn Evans, one of over 100 people present on May 22nd in a rally in front of the Boyd Theatre where the 11 Most listing was announced.
Credit: Adrian Fine, Director, Northeast Field Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation
The theater was in limbo until earlier this year, when the National Trust for Historic Preservation added the Boyd to its list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. In May, supporters of the Boyd held a rally in front of the building, activity that got the attention of City Hall and Clear Channel.
On Aug. 8, the city's historical commission voted unanimously to designate the theater as a landmark (a move that protects only the exterior of the building).
"More than anything else, the 11 Most listing was strategic in shifting the prospect of where the Boyd was going," says Adrian Fine, director of the National Trust's Northeast Field Office, based in Philadelphia. "It reenergized the campaign to save the Boyd and was the factor that led to its local designation."
The new hotel and theater will be also reenergize the neighborhood. "Reopening the Boyd as a major anchor of Chestnut Street will return vitality to the street," says Howard Haas, president of the nonprofit Friends of the Boyd. "Nighttime and weekend crowds of theatergoers will also ensure more restaurants [and] stores and increase hotel occupancy."
The Boyd's unique design is essential to understanding its importance to Philadelphia. In the new design, architects Martinez & Johnson, based in Washington, D.C., play off the historic, colorful art-glass windows, cut-glass mirrors, and rowdy paint scheme. Owner Gary Martinez, who has been working on the Boyd since 2003, admires the "wild exposion of colors throughout the building" and took it a step further. "The sense that the architects were exploring art deco through polychromatic elements was a really integral piece of the design of the building. When they did it in 28, it was a breakthrough. The use of polychromatic features … inspires a lot of the treatment of the new work we're doing."
Along with the boutique hotel and two restaurants, the renovated Boyd will be a 2,500-seat venue that will host 50-60 live acts each year, along with films, lectures, and stand-up comedy.
"There's nothing like it in Philadelphia," says John Gallery, executive director of the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia. "There really isn't even a large venue that shows or handles the variety of things they're proposing to bring into the Boyd, and that's one of the reasons that people are so excited about it."
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