Lyric Center: seeking input for future
By Mary McReynolds HTF Contributor
The Lyric Center for the Arts held a community meeting on Thursday, August 26 to get input and thoughts on the next steps for reuse of the building at 510 – 514 Chestnut Street in Virginia. Comments ranged from right-sizing the next expansion to moving ahead with full renovation. All of the input was valuable and will be used by the organization for future actions.
For folks who aren’t familiar with the Lyric Center, here’s a little background. In 1911, Duluth architects, Ellerby, Round and Sullivan were commissioned by Virginia businessmen, John A. Kennedy, D.W. Elmquist and Henry Sigel to design a performance theater. The Lyric Opera House was constructed in 1911 and opened in January of 1912. The arts— especially the performing arts—have played an important part in the cultural life of Virginia for many years. When the Lyric Theater opened its doors it was one of four fully programmed vaudeville houses in the community. Touring vaudeville companies provided the main entertainment until the mid-1920’s when movies took over. In the 1930’s Paramount Studios added the Lyric to its circuit and changed the name to The State Theater.
Over the years the building has changed ownership several times. The theater area stopped showing movies in 1956 and the marquee was removed in 1963, which hid the fact that the building had a theater space. The Minnesota Historical Society has determined that the old State Theater (now the Lyric Center for the Arts) is a contributing element in the Virginia Commercial Historic District which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. The building retains most of its original exterior appearance short of the marquee and theater entrance that once graced Chestnut Street. Over the years the first floor commercial and the Chestnut Street facade experienced change; however the second story and the theater retain their spatial integrity.
In 1998, the Lyric Center for the Arts was purchased to save it from being razed. A re-use study was commissioned and performed by the Minnesota Historical Society. Among other findings the study determined that the structure is also significant because it houses one of the most complete vaudeville theaters in the state of Minnesota.
The re-use study notes that “Virginia lies at the center of a market that extends from International Falls to Moose Lake, and from Grand Rapids to the North Shore. This area includes an estimated 80,000-100,000 residents, which represents a huge potential audience for arts and cultural events. Within this region there are very few arts venues anywhere except on the very fringe of the area. A well-conceived, wellprogrammed, and well-managed arts and cultural center in Virginia would have the potential to draw from a large region.”
Encouraged by the reuse study, the Lyric Center went on to hold several ideation sessions which included city officials, history buffs and local artists. These sessions provided insight into the best uses of the spaces in the building. In 2004, proposals for a concept design were issued and narrowed down to three architectural firms which made presentations to a panel. Hammel, Green and Abrahamson www. hga.com were selected to work with the Lyric Center board and fine tune spatial use, and develop concept drawings and an estimated budget for renovation of the building.
In the 12 years since the Lyric Center for the Arts project began, the organization has met many milestones, not the least of which has been obtaining over $126,000 in grant dollars from various statewide and national funders. Some has been used for programs and some on bricks and mortar, but the majority has been spent in local businesses for materials and supplies, or been paid to local artists. With further growth in programming we will continue to bring money into the community. In fact, a recent study found that non-profit arts organizations add over $31 million to our regional economy. Indeed, a local center for the arts could be a significant economic boon to the Quad Cities area.
A small portion of the Lyric Center was remodeled in 2006 and occupied as a visual art gallery and small performance space. It is serving well as gallery space, but has proven too small for performances. One of the main member organizations of the Lyric Center is Small Parts Players Children’s Theatre Company. This organization has grown to having as many as 25 actors in one of the two age groups. Unfortunately, the occupancy permit and space constraints in The First Stage limit the number of people allowed to less than 50 at any one time including the performers. This has also proven to be a negative aspect for presenting musical performances as the low number of seats would require ticket prices too high to be practical.
Now to the present: Having the concept drawings and budget in hand, the Lyric Center is again seeking public comment for the next steps in use of the facility. Possible next steps include moving forward with full renovation of the building with a probable price tag of just over $9 million. Other options under consideration are to remodel the other store front space into a performance venue, or possible use of an adjacent building. There is much to consider in taking the next step, including the best use of possible grant funds and donations. If you would like to send your thoughts our way you can e-mail us at lyriccenterforthearts@ yahoo.com. We can also be found on Facebook, and a great video detailing our status along with current events at the Lyric are posted on-line at http://lyriccenterforthearts.blogspot. Your donations and comments are always gratefully accepted and can be mailed to us at PO Box 416, Virginia, MN 55792.
Mary McReynolds lives in Virginia, MN.
