Renovations get green light from the town
CSE file photo
It’s been nearly four years since Culpeper native Greg Yates, right, purchased the old State Theater on Main Street from The Finders, a secret society formed by the late Marion Pettie.
The Culpeper Architectural Review Board offered a glowing review of the State Theatre renovation and expansion project at its regular meeting this week.
After about 15 minutes of discussion and a show-and-tell of design elements, the ARB on Wednesday unanimously found in favor of the State Theatre Foundation’s request to begin the estimated $10 million project.
“This is the way it’s supposed to be done,” said ARB member Michael Lysczek, a local architect. “That’s all I can say.”
ARB Chairman Powell O’Bannon agreed.
“I think it looks great,” he said of the construction plans, which will double the size of the existing building while returning the art deco theater to its original appearance. “I can’t wait ’til it comes to be. Y’all have done an excellent job.”
Bill Hopkins, associate principal with Hanbury, Evans, Wright and Vlattas, the Norfolk-based architects designing the project, brought samples to the meeting of the bright colors that will be used on the neon-lined marquee as well as cream-like paint colors used for the original stucco.
The original marquee, being rehabbed at the Wagner Electric Sign Company of Ohio, will shine with the same primary colors — red, blue, yellow, green — in place when the theater was built in 1938. “It will have quite an impact,” said STF Director Raven Yates. “It will be beautiful.”
ARB member John Cerio agreed the marquee would be hard to miss: “You will see that when you’re walking down Main Street.”
Yates said it would offer a nice contrast to the rest of the building. “It is such a simple design,” she said, “so it’s nice to have these fun elements.”
Chris Hamilton, chairman of the foundation’s building committee, said Tuesday that construction on the 16-month project would begin very soon, sometime this summer.
A first phase will involve removing about 35 feet from the back of the theater.
A new stage house with dressing rooms and wardrobe closets will be built in its place along with a new loading dock and a six-story fly tower. The 70-year-old theater was recently listed to the National Register of Historic Places.
When it reopens in 2009, it will stage live acts and movies. The community has already pledged more than $4 million toward its restoration.
Allison Brophy Champion can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 101 or
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