West Virginia City Reopens its 1928 Theater
By Margaret Foster | Online Only | Oct. 22, 2009
With a Beaux Arts facade and red marquee, the Capitol Theatre has been the most prominent building in Wheeling, W.Va., since it opened in 1928, attracting stars like Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, and Merle Haggard. After closing two years ago, the 2,400-seat theater reopened last month to great fanfare.
"It was amazing to see the theater full, to see that many people there—there was a lot of energy and a lot of good will," says Jeremy Morris, project manager for the Wheeling National Heritage Area and a member of a grassroots group formed in 2005 to reopen the theater.
Former owner Live Nation, created by Clear Channel Communications, closed the Capitol Theatre because of fire-code issues. A local group was able to convince the company to sell the building to the town's visitors bureau.
"It didn't take a lot of convincing. They were looking to unload the property, but they were not looking to give it away," Morris says. "The theater was in pretty good shape, though it wasn't being taken care of."
The Wheeling-Ohio Convention and Visitors Bureau bought the venue in April for $615,000. Workers immediately began replacing fire escapes and installing a sprinkler system. A full restoration of the theater is projected to cost $3.3 million.
"The terra cotta is weathered, and there are some other problems that will have to be addressed in a subsequent phase," says architect David McKinley, president of the local David McKinley and Associates, which completed an assessment of the building several years ago.
"Someday in the very near future we may embark on a private fundraising campaign," says Frank Wheeler, the bureau's executive director. "We thought that if we could get it open, it would be an easier sell [to donors]. We're kind of setting the stage for that now."
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Comments
Submitted by Brian at: October 25, 2009
Who could imagine knocking down a facade like that? By the way, it seems to me that the ground level window area needs to be redone. What's the deal with that cement filling?
Submitted by lightingvixen at: October 25, 2009
Congratulations to Wheeling on recognizing that theatre represent the people. They invigorate the neighborhood and bring jobs, tax revenues and safe streetscape. Of course, labor and prices may be less than in New York, but upgrading mechanical/electrical systems, and refurbishing decorative features, plus increasing the stage, if necessary, may need a budget of up to $40,000,000.