urbanSTL

The Rep is desperate for a new space. I hear the Loretto-Hilton Center is very busy as it is shared between Opera Theatre St. Louis, The Rep and Webster University. The Rep began exploring a move to Grand Center in early 2007, considering new construction of a 700-seat theatre on the parking lot next to Powell Hall, with a smaller theatre attched. After about two years of explorations, though, they decided that the financial climate would need to recover before begining a capital campaign for a new building. They were thinking $45-$55 million at that time.

From the theatre perspective, the fundamentals haven't changed. The Rep is still fairly miserable at Webster. Each show must run the same length of time, with little control over their schedule, with only four months of the year available, and with a space that is in a weird location and (if anthing) larger than ideal.

What has changed is that (1) the economy has improved, (2) The Rep is selling more subscriptions than they have in years, (3) Webster has grown and wants all the space it can get, and (4) Grand Center is getting a major makeover.

I hope it's The Rep. But I'd take a brewery / catering facility, too.

Presbyterian wrote: I hope it's The Rep. But I'd take a brewery / catering facility, too.

Why not combine the two? The Bard n' Brew!

This whole issue with Black Rep and The Rep proves, in my opinion, that more quality venues are needed to house St. Louis arts and dance companies.

Although The Sun is about to come on line, it will be for the Grand Center Arts Academy.

Although Grand Center is doing a lot of positive movement nowadays, personally, I think it is a damn shame that St. Louis isn't at least talking about the possibility of a new performing arts hall.

Grand Center, you'd think, would be doing more to get the discussion going about a new three or four hall state-of-the-art performing arts center in the future. Why not sponsor a competition between architects to at least plant the idea in the mindsets of local powers-that-be?

It's time for a new jewel to be added at Grand Center.

The Symphony, St. Louis Ballet, Black Rep, The Rep (?), Dance St. Louis, Opera Theatre of St. Louis and several others could be potential tenants.

wabash wrote:Ideally the Black Rep and St. Louis Shakespeare could just move directly across the street to the newly renovated Sun Theater.

Availability would be a big question as the school year would be in session for most of the regular schedule. Hopefully both will be able to get by in decent shape with imperfect but temporary homes before good long-term solutions come.

roger wyoming II wrote:I like the idea but I think it would be very difficult to pull off. The main problem is who would be an anchor tenant. SLSO would be the natural fit, but it owns Powell Hall and I don't know how the economics would work for it to move. The other companies mentioned can be quite good -- e.g. Opera Theatre can be exceptional -- but these are rather small and I just don't think we have the number of larger performing arts groups that would make a new center feasible. I'd love for Saint Louis to have major opera and ballet companies.

Personally, I don't think it would be very hard to do. Years ago, an addition and renovation was proposed for Powell Hall. Then when the symphony fell on hard times, the plans were scrapped. I think the only additions were a terrible-looking canopy, a blade sign, and a cheap arts wall. St. Louis can do better.

I guess my chief complaint is that the exterior and surroundings need work.

Powell's interior is classic and grand, and it looks similar to the interiors of Carnegie Hall and Chicago Symphony Center. More could be done with exterior lighting, I think. Also, people like water and sounds of water. They could dump the cheap art wall and put a lighted water sculpture, a water wall or a lighted dancing water fountain in its place to soften the area. I imagine the reno of the Missouri Theater Building would help with appearance as well.

I know the historic and acoustical significance of Powell Hall, and still believe the PSH is a grand building but St. Louis can do better around it.

In regards to theater tenant issues in Grand Center, perhaps a smaller theater could be built similar to Hobby Center in Houston, which has only two theaters and was constructed at a mere cost of $100-million. St. Louis could raise that easily.

If Grand Center is interested in maintaining and snagging as many companies as it can, a new theater would be good for the overall vibrancy too and would solidify Grand Center as a premier theater destination.

I wouldn't be opposed to the Black Rep relocating to downtown, but again does Grand Center want to lose any theater company - especially the Black Rep - which is one of America's premier African-American theater companies?

arch city wrote:

roger wyoming II wrote:I like the idea but I think it would be very difficult to pull off. The main problem is who would be an anchor tenant. SLSO would be the natural fit, but it owns Powell Hall and I don't know how the economics would work for it to move.

Personally, I don't think it would be very hard to do. Years ago, an addition and renovation was proposed for Powell Hall. Then when the symphony fell on hard times, the plans were scrapped. I think the only additions were a terrible-looking canopy, a blade sign, and a cheap arts wall. St. Louis can do better....

Not sure I completely follow.... are you suggesting a new (smallish) performing arts center be constructed as an addition or at least adjacent to Powell Hall? That could be pretty cool. You could do a grand hall south of PH facing Grand with the theaters behind it.

oh, okay.

Hey, at the other end of the block on Vandeventer there's a new crushed-rock and tar art installation called "Mobility Ends"

^ The city's looking at it. But yes, in the end it will happen whenever money is found.

I may be the odd man out, but I like the Grand/FPP intersection. Weird and janky but gives an old/big city vibe. An at-grade intersection will make that area seem very bland and incredibly suburban.

shadrach wrote:An at-grade intersection will make that area seem very bland and incredibly suburban.

What about an at-grade intersection is suburban? I think it's the opposite. Separated roadways and intersections are the definition of suburban development patterns.

^As a former SLU student, that intersection is HORRIBLE. Both from a pedestrian standpoint and a traffic standpoint. Do people realize how confusing the light set up is? A car stops in the middle on a left turn basically every single time and backs up traffic. So traffic flow is already screwed up.

^Agreed. An at-grade intersection makes sense.

But should it happen, we might want to prepare ourselves for an ugly intersection in the short-term. All those asphalt lots along the Parkway are currently hidden by the grade change. Short-term, it may be bad. Long-term, though, you'll have developable land along a well-traveled retail corridor.