The Kimmel Center is laying the groundwork for an
ambitious reworking of the Merriam Theater that would demolish part of the
building and replace it with a tower that could be up to 32 stories high.
Plans are still early, and could move in a different
direction. But ideally, the performing arts center, which purchased the century-old theater
from the University of the Arts in November, would partner with a real estate
developer to raze the seven-story building fronting South Broad Street that
currently houses the theater’s lobby and offices above.
In its place would go a tower whose base would contain
roomier lobby spaces and amenities leading directly into the theater at
multiple levels. Above the theater lobby levels, the new tower, likely
residential, would continue to rise, with larger floors possible by
cantilevering over the Merriam Theater itself.
The hall — with its richly colored murals and decorative
plaster work — would undergo a restoration, backstage rigging and other
equipment would be updated, and new seating installed. The project would “take
the bones of a handsome theater of its period and revitalize it for the next
hundred years,” said Richard Maimon, partner at the architecture firm
KieranTimberlake, which created the scheme.
“Right now we have a number of artists that just won’t
perform there because of the condition of the theater,” so a renovation would
provide “the chance for us to increase the interest,” says Kimmel Center
president Anne Ewers.
One attractive aspect of the plan is the prospect that
the Kimmel might not have to seek big money from a donor community already
being solicited for major campaigns for the Philadelphia Orchestra,
Philadelphia Museum of Art, and other institutions. The Kimmel sees potential
revenue sources in selling air rights for a tower over the Merriam, as well as
rights to naming the tower and renaming the theater.
How much revenue?
“It all depends on negotiations with the developers,”
says Ewers, adding that state money might also be sought. “A lot will depend on
what we figure out in terms of what we’re going to do and what the price tag is
going to be. But certainly there are some great revenue opportunities in the
naming and air rights and the relationship we work out with the developer.”
There is much to do before such a plan could proceed.
Aside from seeking proposals from developers, set to begin this week, the
Kimmel has retained a series of consultants to solicit opinions from various
constituents — neighbors, the arts community, and the general public. A public
meeting is being planned for late September to air thoughts and concerns, and
the Kimmel hopes developers might bring other proposals, such as mixed-use
ideas for the building connecting the theater to the street.
“We’re coming to the nexus of a conversation between the
development community and the public to come to a place where we can by the end
of this year have more definitive plans to move forward,” said Ross S.
Richards, Kimmel senior vice president of facilities and operations. “The venue
needs a lot of work, and this is our opportunity to get it right for the
long-term.”
The Kimmel Center bought the Merriam Theater in November
as part of a plan to expand its campus.
The Merriam, which opened in 1918 as the Sam S. Shubert
Theatre, spent many of its early years hosting shows before they opened on
Broadway. On its stage, John Barrymore mused whether to be or not to be, and
Mrs. Rittenhouse parried quips from the Marx Brothers in Animal Crackers.
Fred and Adele Astaire, Ethel Merman, Ginger Rogers, Jack Benny, Basil
Rathbone, Katharine Hepburn, Buddy Hackett, Phil Silvers, Eartha Kitt, Barbra
Streisand, and Sammy Davis Jr. all appeared there. It was renamed the Merriam
in 1991 after developer John W. Merriam, who had established a $3 million trust
to help maintain the theater.
The venue had spells of Yiddish theater. Gamble and Huff
met for the first time in an elevator in the building and struck up a
conversation — and eventually much more.
“Al Hirschfeld was in the Shubert reviewing a play when
he got the notice that his daughter was born, and did his first ‘Nina’ cartoon
[hiding her name in the drawing],” said Christina Carter of John Milner
Architects, brought in by the Kimmel to prepare an assessment of the building’s
history, architectural features, and changes over time.
Cognizant of the Merriam’s tradition of booking shows
geared toward African American audiences, the Kimmel has retained a consultant
to help determine ways to recognize that aspect of the hall’s heritage.
“In my lifetime, it has always been a venue of access to
the African American community in particular,” said Erica Atwood, who will
solicit ideas from Merriam patrons and others “and have them decide how they
want the history to be represented. It could a special museum, could be
something in the lobby, it could be some interactive projection that is there,
it could be making sure the programming is reflective of the demographics of
the city,” she said.
Demolition of the front building may not draw any major
historic-preservation concerns. Although the structure closer to Broad Street
was built at the same time as and adjacent to the theater, the façade has been
altered several times — first in a modern, then faux-historical, aesthetic.
Through the years, the facade of the theater now known as
the Merriam has changed, seen here in its 1917 design, 1918 as built, and after
alterations from the 1970s and 1980s.
There is little of the original façade remaining, says
Mary Werner DeNadai, historic preservation architect from John Milner
Architects and chair of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia. The
theater’s interior, on the other hand, is remarkably well-preserved, and the
prospect of ensuring its continued care and use is being seen as well worth the
price of losing its bastardized frontispiece.
“It’s one of the most important historic resources in the
theater scene, one of the few opulent theaters with its interior intact,” said
Paul Steinke, executive director of the Preservation Alliance. “To have the
Kimmel committed to restoring and preserving that — we would think that’s
great.”
The Merriam Theater, whose interior would be preserved
and seating reconfigured under a plan being pursued by the Kimmel Center.
Although Philadelphia has plenty of downtown halls, the
Merriam Theater is considered a prize because of its prime location and its
medium size. With 1,761 seats, it is smaller than Verizon Hall or the
Academy of Music and larger than the Perelman Theater, making it ideal for
certain events. This coming season, Merriam shows include appearances by
singer-songwriter Lila Downs, musical polymath Ludovico Einaudi, comedian
Paula Poundstone, Juan de Marcos and the Afro-Cuban All
Stars, Pennsylvania Ballet, Stomp, and a show drawn from PBS’s Daniel
Tiger’s Neighborhood.
Audiences often praise the roster of presentations that
cater to specific niches. The audience experience, however, is less than ideal.
Access to seats, especially to balcony and family circle seating, is difficult
— sometimes requiring patrons to walk through offices to get to their spots —
and seating is cramped.
One current problem is that the floor levels don’t align
from the front building to the theater building.
“Plan to avoid the Merriam Theater in the future,” wrote
one Yelp reviewer, echoing many others. “I’ve only been there for 3 shows
and yesterday was by far the worst experience, thinking that my previous
experience could not get any worse. I was WRONG!!! I was in the center front
balcony and could not move my knees… Please update this beautiful old theater.”
Knees will be freed. The Kimmel knows it must renovate
with wider seats and give patrons more room. New rows formed by putting 36
inches between seats from the current 29 inches seems likely. One option for
seating is a flexible system that can change, over about 30 minutes, from a typical
proscenium configuration to a flat floor at orchestra level, or a flat floor at
the same level as the stage. That kind of system, with each row on its own
rider that can fold down to make a floor, would require excavating down one
level.
The seat count would change, and could range from
1,401 to about 2,000 through a combination of patrons seated and standing.
The flexibility would increase the kinds and numbers of concerts and events the
Kimmel could bring to the theater, Ewers said. Cabaret shows with cocktail
tables and rock shows with standing room are two that come to mind.
Theater rigging and sound systems will need to be
replaced. The stage may be slightly widened. Acoustics require improvement.
The dressing rooms cry out for modernization. They currently
exist in former stables that were only “lightly renovated,” says Maimon.
How lightly? “The horse was moved,” jokes Ewers.
Maimon describes a newly configured building that gives
theatergoers a different kind of experience: a clear façade that allows the
public to see in and out, a double-height lobby, a grand stairway, the
ability to access seats easily, modern amenities, and places for the audience
to gather.
The extent of the theater renovation and ultimate price
tag have not yet been determined.
Source: Philly.com
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