Mayor rejects restoration of theater

The project is not feasible for the city, he said.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- The Robins Theater is in an advanced state of deterioration, and renovating and restoring it now would be impractical for the city, Mayor Michael O'Brien said.
"As expected, it's an awful lot of money to bring back a structure that was used for motion pictures," the mayor said after reading a feasibility study on restoration of the theater, which closed in 1974.
"At this point, it's unrealistic for the city" to be engaged in a restoration project there, he added.
The study was done by Westlake, Reed & amp; Leskosky architects and engineers of Cleveland, cost $30,000 and was paid for by a state grant.
Utilities have been shut off in the privately owned East Market Street theater for 30 years, the mayor noted.
Needs to be gutted
"The plaster is all over the floor. The roof leaks," he said. "It's completely deteriorated inside. It would have to be gutted. The pipes, boilers -- everything -- would have to be brand new. You would be rebuilding a brand new theater."
In the study report, the consultants said the 1923-vintage movie and vaudeville theater has the potential to be a valuable downtown asset, and is "deserving of preservation and restoration" and well worth the estimated $12.3 million cost of opening the doors for performances.
Included in that total would be the estimated $3.7 million cost of the first phase of the project, which would make the theater "safe, warm and dry" and include minimal renovation and restoration, the consultants said.
Operation cost
Even if a state or federal grant were obtained for the restoration effort, it would pay only for restoration and renovation -- and not for annual operation and maintenance, O'Brien said. The city doesn't own or control the Robins Theater, he noted.
Brad Phillips, theater owner, declined to comment until he has an opportunity to read the consultants' report.
The city already subsidizes W.D. Packard Music Hall, and it can't realistically subsidize another performance hall, O'Brien said. "It's a more viable venue for entertainment for our community and it's up and running," the mayor said of the city-owned Packard Music Hall.
"We can't subsidize another entertainment venue at the risk of compromising our main responsibility of delivering services to the citizens," added William "Doug" Franklin, the city's safety services director.
Transfer of bond
O'Brien said he supports an effort by state Rep. Randy Law of Warren, R-64th, to have a $1 million state bond transferred from the Robins Theater renovation to improvements to Packard Music Hall and would like state Sen. Marc Dann of Liberty, D-32nd, to sponsor a companion bill in the state Senate.
The Robins Theater, which cost $500,000 to build, has marble columns in its grand lobby, winding stairways, large grilled windows and an ornate ceiling. Its lobby had grand crystal chandeliers, two of which have been restored.
The consultants propose reducing the theater's seating capacity from 1,351 to about 700 to allow a more intimate performance space and enlarging the lobby into a multipurpose room that can double as a banquet and conference room.
They also propose establishing a second-floor VIP lounge that can double as a classroom or conference room, as well as a new scene shop and quick change wardrobe room, and possibly replacing the stage. Parts of the stage are rotting because of a leaky skylight over it, the consultants reported.
"The basement exhibited evidence of severe water intrusion. There was standing water in an abandoned electrical room," the consultants wrote, adding that the auditorium and stage have no fire-suppression sprinklers.
milliken@vindy.com