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State Theatre named construction partner
Special to the Culpeper Times
The State Theatre Foundation, Inc. announced the selection of The Christman Company of Alexandria as construction management partner for the upcoming renovation and addition to the historic State Theatre. The $10 million project, scheduled to start this fall, will play a major role in the mission of the Foundation to provide a center for the arts in Culpeper and surrounding counties. Christman will join a team that includes the Foundation as well as the architecture firm of Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas + Company of Norfolk.
The project calls for the exterior of the historic, Art Deco style structure to be restored to its original appearance and condition, including refinishing the front portions of the façade with a new stucco finish. An 18,000 square foot addition will enable the facility to house a variety of performances, including music, drama, dance, opera, speech, comedy, live music and movies.
“We are extremely excited about working with the nationally-renowned Christman Historic Preservation Group to bring our team’s vision of a cultural center for our area to reality, “ said Raven Yates, Executive Director of the State Theatre Foundation. “Christman’s expertise and reputation in historic renovations of this type made them a perfect choice as our partner for this challenging project. We know from their previous work on similar projects, including the recent Virginia Capitol Restoration, that they will bring together the right skilled trades people and artisans to work sensitively with a historic structure such as this in bringing it back to life.”
The State Theatre has been placed on both the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Said Board member Bruce Clark, “Recognizing that more funding is still needed, we are confident that the contributions and commitments we now have in hand are sufficient to let us go forward. These are difficult economic times for all projects relying on private contributions, but one mark of a truly great society is its willingness to strive for the public good notwithstanding difficult economic challenges.”
Other aspects of the project call for enhanced back-of-house facilities, with the addition of new dressing rooms of various sizes, a performer’s lounge, loading and receiving areas, and ample storage space for theatre equipment. The existing basement under the stage will be expanded to include an orchestra pit and large dressing rooms, as well as space for crew, wardrobe maintenance and piano storage. Because the original stage house was limited in size due to its primary use as a movie theatre, this portion of the structure will be demolished and replaced with a full fly tower and wing space. Approximately 11,000 square feet of existing space will be renovated, yielding a finished building of nearly 30,000 square feet.
The theatre was constructed in 1938 as a vaudeville movie house originally called the Pitts Theatre, named after Sen. Benjamin Pitts, who constructed numerous theatres across Virginia. Of the 30 theatres that he built, this will be the only one still in use as a theatre. The Pitts family leased the theatre to R/C Cinemas in 1973, and it was renamed The State Theatre.
For nearly 55 years, the theatre served as Culpeper’s primary movie theatre. It closed in 1993 when it was sold to The Finders, a group led by Culpeper native Marion Pettie. Under ownership of The Finders, the theatre was not open to the public. During those years, no significant repairs or improvements were made to the building. Local businessman and philanthropist Greg Yates purchased the 11,000 square foot building in 2004 in an effort to save it from demolition or renovation into office/retail space. In February of 2006, Mr. and Mrs. Yates donated the property to the State Theatre Foundation, Inc., a non-profit 501 (c) 3 corporation.
Christman preservation projects include the Virginia Capitol, the Michigan State Capitol, the “Golden Dome” administration building at Notre Dame University, Richmond Center Stage historic theatre, Georgia College & State University’s Black Box Theatre and book store historic restoration, the headquarters exterior restoration for National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, the US Capitol West Egress Door and Stair Renovation, the Lincoln Cottage and Visitor Education Center historic renovation for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and many others. For more information about Christman, visit www.christmanco.com.
Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas + Company specializes in historic preservation, including theaters, and work on college campuses. Hanbury Evans is headquartered in Norfolk.
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