Architecting a Brand: Theaters, Communities, Roots, Reach by Lance Olson, Associate Director, Arts Emerson/Office of the Arts, Boston, Massachusetts
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Architecting a Brand: Theaters, Communities, Roots, Reach by Lance Olson, Associate Director, Arts Emerson/Office of the Arts, Boston, Massachusetts How do you express the B.F. Keith celebrated cultural values of a 130-year-old newness in his vaudeville institution with outposts cards, while creating on three continents that temples for educating and stands for the cutting assimilating immigrants into edge in expression, sees its American culture. community embracing the So it is not surprising world, yet celebrates its that Emerson College, deep roots in the fabric of with campuses in Boston, Boston? Holland, and Los Angeles, For Emerson College chooses to embrace an the answer involves international community preservation, people, and of artists to support and performances. engage greater Boston and express Emerson College’s In September 2010, the values. Paramount Center will open. It includes three theaters, The College has created seven rehearsal studios, a an Office of the Arts to scene shop, a movie studio, program its portfolio of a restaurant, and a residence theaters. It recruited hall for 262 students in executive director for the Boston’s historic Theatre arts Robert Orchard from District. With six other American Repertory Theater, campus venues, Emerson which he co-founded College will be the largest in 1980. According to theater owner in Boston, Orchard, “The Office of and it will house on campus the Arts will offer three nearly 75% of its full- different ‘streams’ of public time students. Its historic performances. Smaller theaters will include: ensemble companies that The Paramount Center in Boston. © Bruce T. Martin, Cambridge, MA • Paramount Theater, feature younger emerging 1932, a faithful adaptive generations of artists will reuse, 590 seats be brought in to showcase will continue its partnerships complex enlivening one • Cutler Majestic Theatre, works that explore the with exceptional New of the oldest American 1903, restored in 2003, definitions of ‘performance’ England arts institutions theatrical sites at the heart 1,186 seats as well as the relationships such as Opera Boston. of downtown Boston. The between audience and project team was almost • Colonial Theatre, 1901, society. Established FMI: the same as for the 2003 last restored in 1995, companies that represent restoration of the Cutler 1,658 seats http://www.emerson.edu/ the highest standards of Majestic Theatre. Project parents/e2u/index.cfm?actio work from a variety of manager for Emerson Community – Boston and n=3&articleID=4676&editio cultures will perform on the College was Robert A. Beyond nID=391 College’s larger stages like Silverman and Associates, Greater Boston has always the Paramount Theater and http://www.emerson.edu/ with John Walden as senior been an international city. the Cutler Majestic Theatre. news/archives/index.cfm?ac construction manager Its safe harbors welcomed The Office of the Arts will tion=detailNews&postingID assisted byMichael Faia and immigrants from around also include performances =12639 Ted Sowa. LHAT members the world. It has the tailored for young people involved included theatrical What’s so Special about earliest Chinatown in the and families to highlight consultants Auerbach the Paramount Center? US. Even today, suburban Emerson’s legacy and Pollock Friedlander, Lowell boasts the largest excellence in theater and The Paramount Center is a decorative and restoration population of Cambodians education.” mixed use, state-of-the-art artists Evergreene outside of Asia. Showman Architectural Arts, Irwin In addition, Emerson College performance and production League of Historic American Theatres • 34th Annual Conference & Theatre Tour 25 The City Planning Context Seating Company and Boston Light and Sound. In 1995 the National Trust Historic Preservation and Memorial Theatre/Opera The building was designed for Historic Preservation the League of Historic House. That eight year by Elkus Manfredi Architects declared the Historic American Theatres convened journey succeeded in 2004 Boston Theaters, in 1996 the Boston Historic when TMG successors Boston Globe architecture specifically the Keith Theater Charrette. Over 100 brought The Lion King to correspondent Robert Block on Washington professionals from the fields the restored Opera House. Campbell calls it, “…one Street, one of America’s of real estate development, Emerson College will of the triumphs of recent “11 Most Endangered arts management, exceed all expectations Boston architecture and Historic Places.” construction, architecture, when it reopens the three- urbanism, the perfect education, preservation and theater Paramount Center marriage of the right client Boston had already been urban planning convened in September, 2010, and and the right place. This is focused on restoring with community leaders in 2011 Suffolk University what makes good cities: the its historic theaters for and public officials to focus will open a new residence juxtaposition of new and nearly 20 years, with on solutions to reenergize hall that incorporates the old in one place, so you feel considerable success. the theaters and the Modern Theatre façade connected to history while The Midtown Cultural neighborhood. and includes a small you look forward to the District zoning plan of auditorium. future. Paramount Center the 1980s had driven LHAT members who embodies the wonderful the restoration of the participated in the Charrette These efforts are urban paradox in which 1926 Metropolitan included Killis Almond, consistent with the first memory meets invention, Theatre/Wang Theatre, David Anderson, Janis four Charrette principles. the old and new converse the preservation of the Barlow, Ann Beha, Howard They reenergize the with each other. The Shubert, the Wilbur, Elkus, Tom Field, Dulcie neighborhood with Paramount interior looks the Colonial and the Gilmore, John Hemsath, mixed use development all the more 1930s because Charles theaters, and Peggy Ings, Sid McQueen, that creates a unique of its contrast with the the initial restoration of Lance Olson, Lynn Singleton, sense of place on what neighboring architecture Emerson College’s Cutler Steve Sigel, and Rosa Stolz. is arguably the earliest of 2010.” (Boston Globe, Majestic Theatre. These theater property in the Working in eight teams, March 7, 2010, http://www. six theaters surrounding United States. And participants produced boston.com/ae/theater_ two blocks of Tremont they provide dedicated recommendations with a arts/articles/2010/03/07/ Street comprise the professional leadership range of specific approaches architecture_critic_ Boston Historic Theatre for neighborhood but remarkable consistency robert_campbell_looks_ District as listed on the improvement in the in principles, specifically: at_the_paramount_ National Register. Open various theater and center_at_emerson_ 1. A sense of place creates and active, they were education owners. The college/?page=full.) already contributing to community project as a whole the vitality of downtown 2. The “right mix” of uses illustrates the importance The “place” is unique. Boston. restores prosperity of a strong leader, It is adjacent to the 3. Development can have Mayor Menino, who original Haymarket, at But the NTHP designation many forms and several provided consistent the northern end of the appropriately pointed out phases leadership through the isthmus connecting Boston that the Keith Block, an 15-year process. And to the mainland. The outlying group of historic 4. A dedicated leadership the development was Center embraces two theaters one block over entity will bring focus to accomplished without buildings connected by their on Washington Street, the task dedicated public funding, entertainment use as far provides a vital transition 5. Special funding employing non-specific back as 1738. The northern between the Tremont incentives drive a Historic and New Market building’s Romanesque Street theaters and the community-wide effort. tax credits and tax exempt revival granite façade was Downtown Crossing retail Shortly after the findings bonding as well as capital added to the 1836 Lion district. were released, Mayor gifts generated by the Tavern/Lion Theatre in 1860, In response to the Thomas M. Menino and owners to finance the uniting it with the 1846 designation, Boston Theater Management Group “many forms and many Adams House Hotel to the Preservation Alliance, president David Anderson phases” of development. south. For the next 90 years the City of Boston, announced a plan to acquire the Lions site held as many http://www.emerson.edu/ the National Trust for and reopen the B. F. Keith as three simultaneously admission/graduate/why_ operating theaters and emerson/quick_facts.cfm 26 InLeague, Summer 2010, Vol. 33, No. 2 served as the home base of admonishes, “in case of fire murals and detail, carpet, visitors and residents alike. the 400-theater Keith-Albee close this door – ANYONE.” seating colors, proscenium For Emerson College the vaudeville empire. On the Of the memory murals, ornamentation and sunburst Paramount Center houses Adams site the Paramount Robert Campbell noted, were replicated from various its students, provides Theater replaced the hotel “My favorite is a vast wall sources and adapted to the classroom and faculty in 1932. Adjoining to the of names, looking a little reconfigured space. Cutting office space, and enhances north is the Opera House, like the Vietnam Veterans edge tools were used in its vital connections to its built in 1928 as the B. F. Memorial