Theater planning $6.8 million renovation

Karsten Ewald is president of the Columbia Art League. He is also a struggling ceramic artist, which is why he is pleased that the future Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts will include a large new gallery space for the art league.

The gallery is just one part of a nearly $6.8 million renovation of the historic Missouri Theatre announced Tuesday by the Missouri Symphony Society. Plans for the center envision an artistic hub for Columbia that will draw audiences and art patrons from across the state. The renovations are scheduled for completion in June 2008.

The renovated theater and adjacent retail space will also feature an arts education center for the symphony society’s music and theater training programs.

The Missouri Theatre was built in 1928. The Missouri Symphony Society purchased the building in 1987, and plans to restore the historic structure have been in the works since 2001. The symphony society launched a $5 million fund-raising drive in June 2002.

David A. White III, executive director of the Missouri Symphony Society, said additional funding for the project will also be sought from private donors and foundations, as well as through state and historical tax credits.

“There’s no more Band-Aids left to put on this building,” White said.

At least a half-dozen other arts groups in town will benefit from the restoration of the historic theater and auditorium, including the Columbia Chorale, University of Missouri Show-Me Opera and Performing Arts in Children’s Education. The new center will also continue to host events such as Ragtag Cinemacafe’s True/False Film Festival, the J.W. “Blind” Boone Ragtime and Early Jazz Festival and the Mozart-Higday Music Trust Series.

White said the transformation of the theater into a regional arts center will have a positive economic impact on Columbia. According to the symphony society’s estimates, the center will generate more than $3.1 million annually to the local economy and support more than 100 jobs. The 1,200-seat theater hosts about 200 events and draws about 144,000 people per year, according to the symphony society.

In addition to the new art gallery and restoration of the auditorium to include state-of-the-art sound and lighting, renovation plans include a new lounge on the mezzanine level, a rooftop reception area, new restrooms and administrative offices and expanded dressing rooms. The 10,000-square-foot addition to the roof will also allow for a partial second floor that will hold classrooms.

Ewald said moving the Columbia Art League gallery to the new center will be a boon to everyone associated with the local arts community. Located at 111 S. Ninth St., the art league has been active in helping plan the Missouri Theatre’s renovation. The league sponsors popular local events such as the Boone County Art Show and Art in the Park and helps promote Columbia artists through the Community Exhibits Program, which displays local artworks in public buildings.

“With increased public exposure, we can broaden our vision and make arts more accessible,” Ewald said Tuesday at a press conference at the Missouri Theatre.