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Proponents committed to culture block
Alliance is backing
feasibility study on renovating theater
By Brady
Snyder
Deseret
Morning News
Momentum for dedicating
a block in downtown Salt Lake to the arts seems to be losing some steam,
but its proponents are vowing to keep pushing for
it.
Key to those continuing efforts is a new
feasibility study that the Salt Lake Chamber/Downtown Alliance is backing
to examine renovating the Utah Theatre "and
some combination of additional new halls to serve the (Utah)
symphony, the Pioneer Theatre (Company) and other regional
organizations and presenters," according to a Salt Lake City Redevelopment
Agency report.
Thursday the RDA Board of Directors,
which is the City Council acting as a review committee, will consider
allocating $10,000 in taxpayer funds to help finance the the study, which
costs $39,000. That allocation might not be rubber-stamped, RDA Board
Chairman Eric Jergensen said, especially because there are new concerns
over the culture block's key element — the renovation of the Utah Theatre, 148
S. Main.
RDA executive director Dave Oka noted three
concerns in his report to be presented Thursday to the RDA
Board.
First, "various property owners of the block
(the Main Street block between 100 South and 200 South) have not agreed to
the concept of the art block," Oka said.
Also, "other
arts venues have voiced opposition to the concept" and "the proposed
project could negatively affect some of the existing buildings on the site
that presently represent a higher and better use," he
said.
That "higher and better use" would likely be
office space, which could generate more money as leased business property
than allowing it to become the headquarters of a ballet troupe such as
Ballet West or another arts company.
Additionally,
Rick Howa, who owns the Utah Theatre, may be having doubts about
renovation.
While Howa didn't return several calls
for comment to the Deseret Morning News last week, he told the Salt Lake
Tribune he didn't want to renovate his theater unless Clear Channel, the
multibillion-dollar company that has offered to run the theater if civic
leaders raise money for the renovation, was in charge of booking and
programing events there.
That stance is in contrast
with several arts groups, who want Salt Lake County in charge of
programming if taxpayer funds are used to renovate the old
theater.
And almost everyone agrees tax money will be
needed if the estimated $68 million renovation is to
happen.
All these concerns come as the notion of what
exactly the culture block or district seems to be growing more
ambiguous.
Byron Russell, who is heading up the
culture block project for the Chamber, is backing away from the term
"culture block" and is now calling the project a cultural
"district."
Such a district encompasses a wide range
of downtown spanning from Abravanel Hall, the Museum of Art & History,
the Capitol Theater, Rose Wagner Theatre, the LDS Church Conference
Center and the LDS Tabernacle, among other venues, Russell
said.
That district would encompass a half dozen city
blocks downtown, from Rose Wagner on 300 South and 200 West to the LDS
Church Conference Center on North Temple.
A renovated
Utah Theatre would
just be one part of that overall district, Russell said, noting that
theater renovation isn't the linchpin to the entire
district.
"I think there are several linchpins," he
said. "We would love to see what we believe is a need fulfilled (by
renovating the theater) that would link us to what we think is a complete
picture of a cultural district."
However, the group
that the Chamber/Downtown Alliance has tapped to do a feasibility study
has a different take, noting in the study's concept that they are looking
at a single block, not a sprawling district.
"That
proposal (to renovate the Utah Theatre), because of its potential
impacts on the local arts community and downtown Salt Lake, has encouraged
local leadership to consider a number of other projects on the same
block," noted Duncan Webb president of Webb Management Services Inc.
"These might include a new educational facility at Ballet West, a chamber
hall for the Salt Lake Symphony, a new home for the Pioneer Theater and
new facilities for a series of museums and galleries, including the Museum
of Utah Art and
History."
Despite differing concepts and other
concerns, Russell said work is moving forward because proponents believe a
synergy of culture downtown would draw people to the area and in turn spur
economic development.
"It's a great idea that's worth
pursuing," Jergensen agreed. "Maybe we need to just take this one piece at
a time. Maybe that's the approach that will work."
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