HISTORIC HOWARD THEATRE REOPENS

April 13, 2012

 "The Theatre For The People," One Of The Oldest African American Theatres In The Country, Reopens as A Gleaming New Performance Venue With A Grand Gala, Stellar Opening Lineup.  WASHINGTON, D.C.–The Howard Theatre, the historic arts landmark that launched the careers of Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Marvin Gaye and The Supremes, has officially opened its doors after a $29 million renovation and a 32-year hiatus.

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Details of $50 million Saenger Theatre renovation project unveiled

March 29, 2012

NEW ORLEANS -- After a series of delays and roadblocks, work is finally underway to bring back the iconic Saenger Theatre.

Architects and developers call it a top-to-bottom, inside-out renovation that must tiptoe the line between preservation and cutting edge.

"(Guests will see) the Saenger Theatre brought back to its original glory, but it will be technologically and functionally, a very modern building," said Gary Martinez, CEO of Martinez + Johnson architecture firm in Washington, DC.

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District of Columbia Public Library, Georgetown Neighborhood Library

March 16, 2012

Reuse and Restoration: The Georgian-style Georgetown Neighborhood Library, which opened in 1935, was severely damaged by fire in 2007. A complete renovation and addition restored the building while upgrading lighting, electrical systems, and accessibility. It also restored a reading terrace, which had been removed but was discovered on old blueprints, and captured previously unused attic space to house a special historical collection . . .

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Museum Review: Lincoln Museum, Act II, the Morning After the Death

February 10, 2012

WASHINGTON — When we last left Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theater, nearly three years ago, he was imagined sitting here in the flag-draped presidential box, moments before a bullet was shot into his head. John Wilkes Booth, the actor turned assassin, was also imagined, leaping onto the stage, injuring his foot, theatrically proclaiming triumph over tyranny and racing into the alley, where a getaway horse waited. Through a newly installed exhibition space we also learned of the events preceding that murder, including the Civil War and all its traumas. And we were given a glimpse of the fate of the conspirators who derailed history...

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New museum honors Abraham Lincoln’s legacy

February 12, 2012

Presidential Historian Richard Norton Smith gives Fox News Sunday an overview of President Lincoln and the newly opened Fords Theatre Center for Education and Leadershop on "Power Player of the Week: Ford's Theatre Center for Education and Leadership"

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Ford’s Theatre to Open Education and Leadership Center

February 03, 2012

More than 750,000 people visit Ford's Theatre annually to ponder Abraham Lincoln's assassination — Booth's single shot and histrionic leap to the stage, the mortally wounded president's death across the street at a boarding house, where Lincoln was carried after the shooting.

New dimensions to that story will be added at Ford's with the opening of the $25 million Center for Education and Leadership this month. Situated in a dramatically refurbished 10-story office building directly across the street from the fabled theater and next door to the house where he died, the center will feature expanded museum and education spaces.

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Pictorial: Loews Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, Before

November 11, 2011

"There's an old expression that perfectly describes the current condition of the Loew's King movie palace on Flatbush Avenue: "regal rot." There's beauty in the decay, yet no one wants to see the the rot take the upper hand. At the moment the dank smell foretells the considerable work that lies ahead for the Houston-based ACE Theatrical Group, the developer selected by NYCEDC and Borough President Marty Markowitz to restore and operate the 1929 building.

Despite the deterioration, many of the original decorative elements remain, from a surprising amount of plaster detailing, to crystal strands hanging form the chandeliers, wrought iron on the sides of the chairs, and gorgeous woodwork in the lobby. On completion, the $70 million project will open the Loew's doors for live theatrical events in 2013."

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A State of the Art Performance Venue for San Antonio

November 21, 2011

San Antonio Parks Foundation has partnered with ACE Theatrical Group to create an innovative proposal for the redevelopment of San Antonio's historic Sunken Garden Theatre.  ACE [and M+J'] historically sensitive design will provide San Antonio with it's only professional outdoor theater, as well as an excellent mid-sized, state-of-the-art performance venue - allowing this city to attract top-tier performers from all entertainment genres while carefully integrating this facility into the existing fabric of the park and surrounding neighborhoods.  ACE [and M+J] has already begun investigating ways to significantly improve the impact of the theatre upon its neighbors - including studies on noise reduction, improved parking solutions, and plans to staff and manage traffic flow associated with theater events."

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Boston’s Washington Street Theaters Receive National Historic Preservation Honor Award

October 21, 2011

Posted by Communications on Oct 21, 2011 in Other News

Mayor Thomas M. Menino joined representatives from Boston's historical preservation community, Emerson College, and Suffolk University in Buffalo, New York to accept the esteemed Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation for the restoration of Boston's Washington Street theaters. The project is one of 23 award winners honored by the National Trust during its 2011 National Preservation Conference. There will also be a local celebration of the award at the Boston Opera House on Monday, October 24.

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Opera House Lights Shine Again in St. Louis

October 20, 2011

By Monica Forrestall, The New York Times

The lights at the Kiel Opera House in St. Louis went dark after a philharmonic performance in 1991. Unused for years, the theater reopened on Oct. 1 as the Peabody Opera House, after undergoing a $78 million restoration that began in July 2010....

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Peabody Opening Gala, 10/1/11: Review, Photos, Setlist

October 03, 2011

By Michael Dauphin, The Riverfront Times

After closing its doors twenty years ago, the Peabody Opera House (formerly Kiel Opera House) officially re-opened Saturday night and hosted a posh gala featuring the inimitable Aretha Franklin and comedic heavyweight Jay Leno. From the moment patrons exited their cars, they were met with smiling Peabody staff that seemed genuinely excited as attendees themselves. And of those attendees were some of St. Louis's most prominent voices. From politicians, corporate backers, professional athletes and coaches, movie stars, and regular citizens alike, everyone was ready to re-open a chapter of St. Louis history that the city had been deprived of for far too long...

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In Flatbush, Kings Encore Is on Marquee

August 24, 2011

By Lana Bortolot, The Wall Street Journal

Thirty-four years after its last picture show, the long-shuttered Loew's Kings Theater on Flatbush Avenue has reopened its doors....

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New stage of development

April 22, 1999

Houston theater group files permits to revamp Boston's Opera House

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Center packs punch

January 01, 2003

Economic impact study shows Riley Center will prodice big benefits to regional economy.

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Golden Opportunity

March 14, 2004

When The Lion King opens in Boston this summer, the restored Opera House will be a bigger star than Simba--and will signal a new era for one of this city's most neglected neighborhoods.

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Plaza gets city funds

March 30, 2004

Theater restoration could be finished in 2005

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Engineers, architects dig in at Colonial

July 15, 2004

Engineers and architects gathered at the Colonial Theater on South Street yesterday for what was described as a working session to prepare for the theater's restoration

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Paramount opens doors to public

December 18, 2004

…the newly restored Paramount Theater welcomed at its grand opening performance Friday night the community that waited so patiently to enjoy its opulence and grandeur from a bygone era.

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Private money just the ticket for Boyd

January 06, 2005

A grand theater gets saved, without public subsidies

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Boyd to be renovated, reopened in 2006

January 06, 2005

Clear Channel, the nation's largest entertainment company, announced plans yesterday to open a renovated Boyd Theatre in late 2006, transforming the once-grand Center City movie palace into a 2,400-seat hall for concerts, films, dance and traveling Broadway musicals.

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Work increases inside Riley Center

March 13, 2005

Just as the Marks-Rothenberg building was completed shortly before the Grand Opera House more than 100 years ago, it now seems renovation of the historic buildings is following the same schedule.

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Developer Infuses Historic Properties with Commerce

April 27, 2005

In Washington, a decaying alley is restored to life.

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To See and Be Seen

May 19, 2005

In Georgetown's chic new design zone, business meets buzz

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Garage of the Future Finds a Space Downtown

July 08, 2005

Computer will park cars, making ramps unnecessary and leaving more room for vehicles

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MSU Riley Center combining best of both worlds

January 01, 2006

When the MSU Riley Center opens this fall, it will combine the best of both worlds for meeting planners seeking a high-tech venue in an elaborate setting.

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That’s Historical

April 01, 2006

Retro, rehab and restoration trends are keeping the League of Historic American Theatre busy these day. "Old" is the new "new."

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D.C. to pay design firms more than federal standard to salvage libraries

July 18, 2007

…District of Columbia contracting officers have agreed to pay two design firms at more than twice the federal standard to salvage four neighborhood libraries…

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Paramount Remounted

January 01, 2008

Difficult to read, half the sentences are cut off

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Arts center architects seek input from public

January 01, 2008

Tom Johnson stood on the shore of Bonita's upper lake Monday and tried to picture what the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center will look like years from now.

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Work set to begin on Opera House this month

January 04, 2008

With the non-historic demolition phase now complete, the interior of the Marks-Rothenberg building now looks much as it did in 1890.

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Center packs punch

January 04, 2008

Economic impact study shows Riley Center will prodice big benefits to regional economy.

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Library chooses local firm for restoration

February 13, 2008

The D.C. Public Library didn't have to look far when choosing an arachitect to restore the Georgetown Neighorhood Library

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Architects snap up nifty building in District alley

February 08, 2008

D.C.-based OTJ Architects is giving dwelling behind 1412 Eye St., NW an extreme makeover, creating the only Class A office space in an alley.

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Sketching out D.C.‘s Second Act as a Jazz Hub

February 25, 2008

The District reached a deal last month with local developer Chip Ellis to provide up to $15 million in grants and tax incentives for theater renovation after Liggins agreed to relocate his company from Lanham to the Shaw neighborhood.

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Jazzed Up About Reviving D.C. Landmark

February 25, 2008

Development Projects near Howard Theater aim to resurrect cultural hub

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Majesty restored and revealed in Lauderdale County

May 06, 2008

Those who toured Meridian in Lauderdale County during the 2004 Mississippi Association of Supervisors Fall Conference may remember a large brick building, sitting rather forlornly on a corner in downtown Meridian.

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More than just Brick and Mortar

June 06, 2008

Conference centers commit to the guest experience with enhanced services & amenitites

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Meridian to host conference

June 06, 2008

Governor's tourism meeting to be held at Riley Center

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Boston Opera House given Award of Excellence

October 01, 2009

The DC|AIA has presented the Boston Opera House with the 2009 Award of Excellence in Historic Resources

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Howard Theater Revamp Gets the Go-Ahead

January 01, 2009

"Washington DC’s Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) has unanimously approved plans to rehabilitate, restore and expand Shaw’s historic Howard Theatre ."

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Saenger Theatre renaissance is under way

October 25, 2009

"The crowd that gathers Thursday at Canal and Rampart streets, just outside the boarded front doors of New Orleans' iconic Saenger Theater, will witness a renaissance moment."

By Michelle Krupa and Frank Donze

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Saenger marquee lit for the first time since Hurricane Katrina; theater to reopen in 2011

October 29, 2009

'People gathered along Canal Street on Thursday evening as a switch was flipped to set the Saenger Theatre marquee blazing once again..."   By Frank Donze

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Watch: The Saenger Theater flickers back to life

October 30, 2009

"If you didn't make it to Canal Street to watch the Saenger's marquee light up for the first time since Hurricane Katrina, we thought we'd open up The Times-Picayune archive and share images of the playhouse then, and now."

By Martha Carr, The Times-Picayune

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$44 million renovation of Plaza Theatre now complete

December 15, 2009

EL PASO -- The Plaza Theatre renovation, a $44 million effort, is finally done.

By David Burge, El Paso Times

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Plaza Theatre in El Paso is recipient of Honor Award for Historic Preservation

December 23, 2009

"In 1930, Fred Astaire, Clark Gable and Greta Garbo were the brightest stars on the silver screen, and the lavish, newly opened Plaza Theatre was the brightest star in El Paso, Tex"

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Georgetown Library to Reopen in the Fall

January 29, 2010

"The historic Georgetown Library burned three years ago. Now it is being reconstructed and will reopen this fall."

By A. G. Sulzberger and Natasha Lennard

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Crumbling Movie Palace Finds an Angel

February 02, 2010

"The rusting, dirt-caked marquee that hangs outside the Loew’s Kings Theater over a bustling commercial stretch of Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn last promoted a film in 1977. Years of neglect have left the ornate interior rotted by time, stripped by thieves and desecrated by vandals and pigeons."

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Ford’s Theatre Education Center to bring President Lincoln’s last days to life

June 22, 2010

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/21/AR2010062104631.html

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Howard Theater restoration part of national trend

September 21, 2010

" ...The D.C. Council has approved legislation that virtually ensures the restoration of the Howard, the historic entertainment venue that has been closed since the early 1980s... "

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Georgetown Library Emerges From Ashes Dapper As Ever

October 19, 2010

Georgetown Library Emerges From Ashes Dapper As Ever

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Saenger Theatre is about to get a new lease on life

October 21, 2010

A grand plan to restore the iconic Saenger Theatre to its former glory is poised to take a big step forward today when the New Orleans City Council considers a long-term lease with the property's longtime private owner-managers.

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M+J is in the Big Apple!

October 30, 2010

M+J is proud to announce the opening of a new office in NYC......to be led by new Principal, Stewart Jones, AIA

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From the Ashes: D.C.‘s Georgetown Library Reopens

November 01, 2010

April 30, 2007, was a day of "horror," for Ginnie Cooper, the District of Columbia's chief librarian. She shudders as she recalls the site of the Georgetown library cupola, engulfed in flames, crashing through the roof into the children's section. The heat was so intense that steel girders bent like licorice, and books were reduced to ashes, carried away by the wind like confetti.

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