Varisty Center

Got the opportunity to take a walk through the partially renovated Varsity Theater/Varsity Center for the Arts yesterday as part of the Center's seeking historic/landmark district status. The reason for seeking this, I was told, was to make it more difficult to demolish the building, should it ever pass from the Stage Company and CCA's trusteeship.

Renovations are entering stage 3 which means the plan is to finish interior restructuring of the building. If you ever saw a show in the theater before it closed, you should remember the small balcony theater. The plan is to remove the walls separating it from the larger main theater, creating a 400 seat venue. The bathrooms will be remodeled, offices installed in the basement as well as a concession area on the main floor. Finally, the lobby area will be remodeled to approximate what it looked like when it opened in 1940. However the Center has no photographs of the interior from that time so is having to rely memories of local residents as to how it looks. If anyone reading this has photos of the theater during the early years, the Center would appreciate seeing them.

Stage 4 involves the final restoration of the exterior of the theater and is scheduled for completion in 2013. Of course, that date is contingent on the Center receiving funding, currently estimated to cost $4.5 million to complete stages 3 & 4.

The Historic Preservation committee looked over the paperwork the Center provided and, aside from a couple of questions about wording, seemed pretty favorable disposed for it. The HP committee will have another meeting later this year, at with the Center will make its final presentation for the designation, the public will have an opportunity to make comments. The committee then votes and, if it approves the designation, moves the decision onto the city council agenda. for a vote at a subsequent council meeting.