The Red and Black

Issue date: 11/5/09 Section: Out & About

Media Credit: Courtesy Davis Architects Wilmot Greene hopes the new Georgia Theatre design will satisfy the audience and the performing bands. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Courtesy Davis Architects [Click to enlarge]

Wilmot Greene is a busy man. To rebuild his Georgia Theatre, which was completely gutted after a fire on June 19, he must organize a capital campaign, arrange benefit shows in other venues and oversee construction in the century-old building that meets modern safety codes.

"I've conducted phone interviews on the toilet," Wilmot told The Red & Black. "When else am I gonna have time?"

The Georgia Theatre passed two important milestones on the road to reconstruction with the capital campaign, aiming to raise $1 million, that began at Atlanta's Fox Theatre Friday night with a concert featuring Zac Brown and Kid Rock. Last Wednesday, the Theatre publicly unveiled plans for the rebuilding process after receiving the Athens Historical Preservation Committee's approval.

Greene began to search for an architect to design the new Theatre almost immediately after the fire. He chose Davis Architects, the same company that designed the new parking deck that will neighbor the Theatre.

The most difficult aspect of the redesign process, Greene said, was satisfying the building codes. The Theatre had been grandfathered into building codes since it was converted into a theater in the 1930s, so the new design had to meet codes it had never met before.

And since the Theatre sits in the downtown historic district, the AHPC had to approve any changes to the exterior.

"The plans that were presented fulfilled historic character," said Sharon Bradley, a member of the AHPC.

The most significant change the AHPC had to approve was the new rooftop design. The roof will feature a restaurant and open space overlooking downtown Athens, intended to serve as a refuge during concerts. The restaurant, which Greene expects will offer simple, smoked food, will be open every day of the week and will hopefully bring in more revenue to the theatre. The new offices and dressing rooms will also be located on the roof - part of Greene's desire to make the new Georgia Theatre more friendly to the bands that play there.

"People don't realize how bad the Theatre was for bands," Greene said. "They liked when they got on stage, but the rest of the day sucked. Now all 24 hours will be awesome."

The most important aspects of the old Theatre - the marquee, the sloped floor and the curtains - will remain, with the addition of modern amenities such as an elevator and twice as many bathrooms.

In addition, the new Theatre will have a capacity of over 1,000, up from the capacity of about 600 in the original building.

"Ideally, [the] audience thinks nothing more than it sounds better and is cleaner, and besides that it really feels like the old Theatre," Greene said.

With an estimated rebuilding cost of $3 million, Greene must raise enough money from private donors in order to sustain the debt from construction costs when the Theatre reopens.

"It needs to be a gathering place for young people," Greene said. "It's been a gathering place for 115 years."

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