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THE STATE THEATRE
Shines Anew as an Architectural
Jewel of Bay City
By Robert E. Martin
Built in 1908 during the booming Michigan lumbering era and renovated in 1930 by renowned architect C. Howard Crane, who's impressive body of work includes the twin Fox Theatres in Detroit & St. Louis, The State Theatre in Bay City is born from that selective breed of Burlesque & Vaudeville houses that permeated the country 100 years ago, long before the advent of television, only to fall into disrepair from the ravages of time and the neglect of errant owners.
While many historic theatres have fallen
to the wrecking ball, back in the year 2000, a group of committed,
dedicated, and diligent visionaries in Bay City formed The Friends of
the State Theatre, fueled with the singular purpose of restoring
this diamond-in-the-rough to the dutiful stature of its halcyon days. By
navigating the course of the State Theatre through challenging
financial & economic waters, the group managed to raise an impressive
$1.5 million dollars - focusing their endeavors upon a top-to-bottom
overhaul of the structure.
Finally complete and open to the public,
The State Theatre now stands as one of the undeniable Grande Dame's
of architectural splendor in the Midwest, easily on a par with such
notable & breathtaking venues as Saginaw's Temple and Detroit's
Fox Theatres.
By retaining Canning & Associates,
the same firm that did the restoration on New York's Radio City Music
Hall and the State Capitol building in Michigan, the group spared no
expense in returning this historic venue to the majesty that Mr. Crane
envisioned in his 1930 design. Crane had designed the State to resemble
a Mayan Temple, replete with art deco architecture and gilded ruby-esque
lighting sconces that emanate a rich, warm, and intimate character on
the main floor, as well as a second floor balcony.
According to Executive Director Patti
Loree, the paint restoration process itself was a laborious endeavor
that dates back two years. "We had black & white photo prints to from
1930 to work off of in terms of original design," she explains, "but
were uncertain of the color scheme. Two years ago Canning conducted
discovery work on the borders with a chemical solvent and went layer by
layer to discover the original. Finally, after peeling away 8 layers of
paint that had been coated to the walls over the years, they found
Crane's original layer of work."
On-board since the inception of the
project, Loree feels that the biggest challenge of all was juggling the
time factors involved. "We featured programs through the spring, so
basically had to get all of the restoration project done over a four to
five month window of time without making any mistakes by moving too
fast," she explains. "All the seats have been restored, the lobby, all
the columns in the auditorium were re-done, plus we had to gut the
concession area. Updating the entire electrical system in the building
was an enormous project in and of itself, plus we had to replicate the
original work outside the building and install barrier-free restrooms."
In terms of 'new' construction, a
basement was added to the State. "We have 9,500 square feet of theatre
here and had no place to store anything, so we built a basement and
built the stage up to code on the back entrance. We redid the balcony
area and as you can see, it was a top to bottom restoration project."
In terms of seating, the balcony area was
always problematic at the State in the past, with tight quarters and
little room to position one's legs. Now that issue has been completely
resolved. "We went from 600 to 526 seats, so aren't loosing that much
capacity, but patrons will find it a much more comfortable experience."
Coming to the Rescue
Obviously, any project of such magnitude requires pivotal individuals to spearhead it, and when asked who got the ball rolling on the project, Patti quickly points to the generous determination of Paul & Peggy Rowley, a key 'benefactor family' in the endeavor.
"Mr. Rowley was instrumental in the
purchase of the theatre," explains Patti. "It was up for sale for one
day and rumors of two things happening started to circulate. One
gentleman wanted to buy it and level it and turn it into a parking
structure, and the other wanted to turn it into Cinema Arts II. Mr.
Rowley heard about that and fortunately he was Chairman of the Downtown
Development Authority, so initially they purchased this building and
then the Friends of the State Theatre took over ownership since
July of 2003. It was purchased from a loan from the Power Fund."
According to Loree, grant moneys came
from Bay City & Midland along with a grant from HUD at the federal level
for $350,000. The project clocked in at $1.5 million not including
restoration of the original marquee, which was another $250,000
expenditure; and the group is engaged in an ongoing fundraising effort
for a million dollar endowment, making the total goal $2.5 million.
"We have a wonderful patron base of
donors locally as well as from Midland," notes Patti, "and I deeply want
to thank the communities that have supported this project. The State
would not be standing as it is today if the people of Bay City hadn't
rallied to the cause."
Evolution in Programming Thom Sorger has built a sizeable reputation in the music & entertainment industry locally for the past ten years. Working with Jay Samborn Entertainment, Sorger was able to hone his professional skills considerably, and as the new Programming Coordinator at The State Theatre, he has his own visionary goals for the venue.
"I saw this as an opportunity to get
involved with exciting things very close to my heart," he explains. "I
see a lot of our programming evolving into something similar to what
they do at Interlochen. There are artists out there involved with
Jazz and on Public Radio that have never played a Michigan venue, so I'd
like to get a lot of those types of performers up here and build
excitement into the programming."
"Of course, we are 'home' to The Bijou
Orchestra, so they will have events coming up in the Fall; and the
bulk of the Fall Season between now and the first of the year is set,
between our local film series, Kevin Cole's performance, and the
Dobson Blues Sessions, which are held in conjunction with Delta
College Public Radio," continues Thom.
"But my goal is to diversify the
programming. I'd like to bring in national blues & jazz acts like Diane Schur, Maynard Ferguson, and some of the 'big
bands'. Plus I'd like to branch into some comedy and hopefully get acts
like The Capitol Steps for July 1st
before Bay City's 4th
of July Celebration."
"We also need to make good use of the
movie screen, so from November through December every other Sunday I
would like to bring in some significant motion pictures and possibly
build a multi-venue film independent film festival," states Thom. "This
is in the early stages right now, but it would be similar to the
Traverse City Film Festival. While that is Michael Moore's deal up
there, I'd like to associate some celebrity from Michigan to make it an
out-state destination goal for people in Chicago and Detroit. One of the
people we've been talking to is Jeff Daniels."
"My goal is to reach out state for
audiences. A lot of people that live in this area go outside the area
for entertainment, so I don't want to be known as a 'movie theatre' so
much as a live performance venue and draw outside of this area by
exposing our programming to Detroit, Ann Arbor, and areas as far as
Chicago and Northern Ohio."
"We're talking with the Doubletree
Hotel about putting together packages for out-of-state visitors that
would tie in our offerings with the Planetarium and other attractions
that Bay City has to offer. Between balancing what we do for the local
community and building our out-reach, this venue is going to be awesome
and turn a lot of heads."
"The most challenging thing for me right
now getting my own policies into place before the programming starts,"
he continues. "Our website is updated and will be kept current daily,
plus people can purchase tickets directly online by going to
www.statetheatrebc.org.
I feel it important to augment our Internet presence, which is something that has been lacking."
The State Theatre is available for
rentals, with a base price starting at $650.00, which includes
everything necessary to stage a successful event. Because The State
Theatre is a non-profit association, no alcohol is available for events;
however, downtown caterers can be commissioned to bring food for any
occasion.
"We have a lot of performances with the
Bijou Orchestra in October & November, plus we have the Equinox
Christmas Concert scheduled, but our schedule is pretty wide open for
December, so people should definitely contact us if they're interested
in conducting an event."
"This is a whole new day & era for The
State Theatre. Once people see it, they are going to be amazed. This
is the kind of destination point you definitely have to see in order to
believe."
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