Carpenter Theatre, Richmond VA
BACKGROUND
The Carpenter Theatre first opened its doors in 1928 as a Loew’s Theater for moving pictures. It was shuttered in 1979 due to competition from suburban multiplexes and changing demographics, and remained vacant until 1983. At that time, it was restored and reopened as the Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts. The Carpenter Center again closed in 2004 for a $73.5 million rehabilitation by the CenterStage Foundation, that updated its acoustics, lobby and amenities while expanding its stage size to draw major touring shows. This project also incorporated the Carpenter into a four-venue performing arts complex, Richmond CenterStage, that provides the community with a rich and varied arts experience in downtown Richmond.
THE PROJECT
The architect of the original Carpenter, John Eberson, was a leading New York architect of the 1920s noted for his extravagant theater designs. The theater certainly bears his stamp. It is an elaborate interpretation of the Spanish Mission style, with a dark red brick exterior heavily ornamented with sculpted terracotta and limestone. The rehabilitation preserved this style while creating a larger stage house to accommodate Broadway shows, expanding the lobby, ticketing and concession areas and updating its acoustics, electrical systems, seating and ticketing technology to meet modern standards.
COMMUNITY IMPACT
The theater has served as home for the Richmond Symphony, the Richmond Ballet and the Virginia Opera as well as smaller Broadway productions, special concerts and other performances. In its renovated state, the larger stage size (nearly doubled) now draws more than 40 touring plays, musicals, family shows and popular entertainment events annually. A dozen or more community presentations rounds out the calendar for the year, helping the theatre to stay busy for an estimated 200 days a year. These expanded offerings will bring new permanent jobs and increased foot traffic downtown, in addition to the projected $2.5 million in state and local taxes and $28.2 million in household and business income.
