# Renovation Funds



## Franklinscott57 (Sep 14, 2011)

Hey there CB,


I have worked as a lighting designer for awhile now (although I am still a student), but can not say that I am well versed in the management side of theatre. - [disclaimer]

I recently met with a man in Buffalo who owns a vacant theatre building. He wanted to sell it (for gutting and new use), but is willing to work with me and a group of other theatre students at restoring the place back to a functional nonprofit theatre space.

We have the know-how, and some very minimal funding. The original thought was to make it a historical building (built and operated as a theatre since 1910), but we quickly realized that the restrictions put on such a landmark would quickly out weigh any funding we would receive from the city or state.

I'm asking CB members for advice on how we could go about raising the funds for such a restoration. The building is old, and the seats have been removed, but the stage and outside is in relatively good condition. Including the roof repair needed - we are estimating the restoration alone to cost a minimum of $90,000.

The overall plan after restoration is to be able to rent the space out to different production companies for theatre, concert, dance, and comedy events. So, obviously we would need to raise more start up capital than the initial restoration funds.


So... let us know what your thoughts are on the project and how we could go about attaining funds for it.


Thanks,
Scott Franklin
Lighting Designer
Technical Director - Arclight Theatre


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## Footer (Sep 14, 2011)

Talk to your local city inspector. Get a general contractor who is a friend or a friend of a friend to walk through. Problem with any renovation is the second you open up a wall, you have to bring everything in the building up to code, including ADA, fire, electrical, asbestos, the list goes on. Just watch an episode of Property Ladder... and multiply it by 10. 

Not saying it can't be done, but without a good onsite inspection involving power, HVAC, egress, fire systems, structural integrity, security, and that type of thing you don't really have a starting place. I'm sure the project can be done and depending on the scope it might be able to be done cheap. However, it can also create a huge can of worms.


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## erosing (Sep 14, 2011)

This book is more for established companies with a performance space, but there are some ideas that would be tailorable to your situation. It is by no means the end all of theatrical fundraising though (don't expect to find a book like that either), it's good for launching quick ideas and brainstorming to see where others have been successful. Downside is that it's $16, which is a decent amount for a student, but the upside is that it's essentially a fundraising proof of concept 150 page research paper.

Amazon.com: Don't Just Applaud, Send Money: The Most Successful Strategies for Funding and Marketing the Arts (9781559361057): Alvin H. Reiss: Books

High school or college student? Does your (local) college have an arts management program? Talking to them might be helpful. Look at city, county, and state grants too.


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## museav (Sep 14, 2011)

Let me start by saying that I love seeing old venues given new lives. However, there are reasons this does not happen as often as we might wish. As Kyle noted, there may be many things that have to be done just to make the building able to be occupied for the envisioned use, so the first thing might be to get an Architect, Construction Manager and/or General Contractor involved to help ascertain what that may require. They in turn may also involve experts in structural, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and technical systems. If the building was in constant use as a theater and kept up to current code until recently then they may find few major issues, but if not then there may be significant and rather expensive issues that if not addressed would prohibit obtaining a construction permit or a Certificate of Occupancy.

While there is likely a lot of work that can be approached as DIY, there is almost certainly some work, both design and construction, that is going to require experienced and properly licensed professionals. In today's more safety conscious and lawsuit happy world the concept of getting the gang together and fixing up the old theater is simply not practical, you have to address building code and ADA compliance, zoning ordinances, liability insurance and so on.

The historical aspect is two sided. It entails some costs, some time and a lot of paperwork, however it also makes some funding available that may otherwise not be an option and may allow more leeway in some code compliance aspects. Also consider the potential marketing value and local support of addressing the historic nature. If you wanted to explore this further then probably the first major step would be to determine what justifies historic status and how you would maintain that historic characteristic while also supporting modern events and incorporating current technology.

Another aspect to initially consider is going to be identifying the expected users and related income. There will be ongoing operational costs that have to be covered, you're going to need to delineate those and provide some support for the expected sources of income. Unfortunately, build it and they will come not only is not not only an impractical approach but it is also not one into which many people will invest. And I'm not clear on the role of the Owner, funding of capital improvements may be complex with a private owner especially if there is no long term lease agreement already in place.

Often a major aspect to address is how the envisioned use would benefit the businesses and residents in that area while at the same time also addressing the potential negative impact (traffic, parking, etc.). Little thing like setting up "dinner and a show" packages with local restaurants can often be a good way of showing how the venue may benefit other businesses. Conversely, adjacent businesses envisioning parking in the area being occupied by your patrons rather then theirs may make some adversaries.

You might also want to look at this thread, http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/general-advice/22642-new-art-space-funding.html.


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## gafftaper (Sep 14, 2011)

Franklinscott57 said:


> The building is old, and the seats have been removed, but the stage and outside is in relatively good condition. Including the roof repair needed - we are estimating the restoration alone to cost a minimum of $90,000.



I hate to burst your bubble but $90,000 is what I'm looking add a couple bed rooms to my house, finish the basement and redo my roof and siding. If this theater is of any sort of size you might be looking at $90k for just the roof. Get a building inspector in there to tell you how bad it really is and a contractor to tell you how much it will really cost. 

At the same time, start searching for people with deep pockets who support the arts in your community. Take in a couple of plays and check the program for who their big donors are. Is there a city, county, or state arts commission who writes grants for these things. Look for major corporations in the state who give to the arts find out how to apply for grants. Don't talk to any of these people yet, You need to have your stuff together first. Just research who you want to contact and how to find their foundations. Once you have a plan fully in place for what your cost will be then you go to the rich people. If you look unprepared they will send you packing without any support. Also consider fundraiser events to get the community behind you.


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## jglodeklights (Sep 14, 2011)

There is a reason the seats were removed- proper theatrical seating is expensive. To purchase new seating for our 300 seat auditorium in Philadelphia one of our quotes we got was about what you estimate for the minimum restoration cost. Obviously, there were some less expensive options, but that was what comparable quality (when new) to what we have now would have cost. The seats at the space you are looking at either were A. that bad or B. worth more than continuing to run the building. 

What type of rigging system is in place? Grid, hemp, counterweight? Chances are all of that will need to be inspected and have repairs done. If it is a hemp house like mine in Philly, if you don't have the original or brand almost new sheaves chances are many of them are for crap (yes, we have many of our original sheaves from 1911 still in use- they were that well made). Chances are any cable or rope will need to be replaced; also somewhat expensive and not something you should do yourself without proper insurance in place. 

What type of structure is it? Brick and steel or wood? In either event, there is probably more damage in place than you would think from moisture due to the damaged roof. If it is wood, has it been maintained against termite infestation? Currently working in a barn theater, that is something we are always keeping our eyes peeled for as it could swiftly give this historic space an end to its life.

If you venture forward with this, you will need to be prepared for the worst situation possible. Before you even get started you should do what others have said, get the place inspected thoroughly.


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## Van (Sep 14, 2011)

90K wont even start to buy a dimming system. Let alone Lights and updated rigging. I hate being a wet blanket, but even a medium sized commercial roof can easily run 50K and decent theater seats can run anywhere from 150 - 300 per seat.


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## museav (Sep 14, 2011)

Just to give some perspective, the historic theater renovation/restoration projects with which I'm familiar range from under 400 seats to over 1,000 seats and not only had budgets ranging from around $4 million to $12 million but between fund raising and construction also took between 3 and 13 years. These were all comprehensive renovations and most of the budgets included some initial operations costs, as should yours, however several were public projects (which meant property purchased for next to nothing, no taxes, no interest on loans, etc.) and/or reflect costs from 10 to 20 years ago. Some also do not include the cost of purchasing the building itself. That's not saying that significantly lower budgets aren't possible, but these costs seem to be in line with those of other theater renovations for which information can be found online.

I'm also not clear on the proposed organization, whether you are looking at forming a non-profit to purchase and renovate the property or to form a non-profit to operate a building that the owner renovates or if they are forming a non-profit and transferring title to it or what, but you might want to try to find an attorney to help assess the potential legal ramifications of whatever arrangement is being considered.


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