The Strand Theater

Downtown Plattsburgh nearly lost a diamond in the rough in 2004 when the owners of the aging Strand Theater found themselves facing foreclosure. Luckily a neighborhood group was passionate enough to take action to make sure that wouldn’t happen.

The three story brick theater on Brinkerhoff Street was built in 1924. Most recently it was used to show independent and alternative films that aren’t typically available in commercial theaters. When the bills became too much to bear, a small group of dedicated patrons of the North Country Cultural Center for the Arts (NCCCA) stepped up to find enough local support to purchase the theater. “They were within days of foreclosure,” recalled Leigh Mundy, president of the group’s Board of Directors.

The NCCCA, a small non-profit arts education center partially funded by the New York State Council for the Arts, assumed ownership for the property and began demolition of the interior of the existing theater in early 2005. According to Mundy, the goal of the demolition phase was to remove anything that was not part of the theater when it was originally built. “We were totally shocked when we found out that what was underneath was so beautiful,” she said.

Leigh Mundy joined the Board of the NCCCA shortly after moving to the area in 2002 and took the reins of the restoration project in late 2009. She and the rest of the group knew that the project, with its $4 million price tag, would not be possible without a significant dedicated effort. “This was something that needed a champion,” she said. “If you don’t have someone who is making sure that it stays front and center, it’s not going to happen.”

Mundy described her role in the project as a volunteer Clerk of the Works. She regularly logs over 50 hours a week to fundraise in the community, coordinate grant applications, balance the complicated books, and work with Fred Keil, who is in charge of the renovation plans. Keil is the local architect who was awarded the contract to draw up the plans in 2004 and has been on the job ever since.

The blueprints for the entire project are set, but Mundy frequently calls upon Keil to provide specific plans relative to each new grant application. “Any time we need plans for bid documents, he draws them. He makes sure the contractors are doing quality work and staying with the plans,” she described.

Work Stops, Starts and Jumps Around

The game plan for a traditional business renovation is relatively straight forward: plans are drawn up, the project goes out to bid and the owners find a bank to secure a loan to cover the costs. Once those hurdles are out of the way, the project can begin and flow through a logical order.

Grant funded renovation projects are different. With its official designation as a national historic place, the Strand qualifies for historic preservation grants that make the restoration possible. Mundy spends much of her time researching and applying for those grants, most of which come with strict guidelines governing how and when the money is spent.

“People always ask me, ‘Why did you start in the front?’” Mundy explained, noting that most projects tackle the major heating and electrical systems first before working toward the details. Improvements to the theater lobby and marquis were bundled in the budgets of the initial grants from 2006. That included the asbestos removal and so those seemingly out of order projects needed to be completed first before the money from that grants could flow back into the project’s budget.

Work on the renovation is usually limited to only one active project at a time. “With grants you have to do the work applied for in that grant as the awarded money comes in. It is a little frustrating in that sense, but that is the nature of the beast,” said Mundy. By way of example, she described the current projects that are underway. “Right now we are completing the work for two grants – one is a ‘Save Americas Treasures’ grant that covers installing a lift from the basement, the stage floor and a new roof. The second is a historic preservation grant for the electric system, heating system and auditorium repair.”

Historically Accurate

The official designation as a National Historic Place opened an important door for the Strand restoration in terms of funding sources, but it came with a challenging caveat. As it should be, all plans, contractors, and even the most minute details are micro managed by state and federal historic preservation offices.

The New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is overseeing the work done at the Strand to make sure that nothing has an impact on the historic significance of the theater. Aside from the obvious concerns with structures and appearance, small details such as paint colors and choice of fabrics used must all receive prior approval before the work can be done. Mundy appreciates the guidance from the agency, noting that its help assures the end result is authentic.

All the extra steps and careful attention to detail take time, resulting in additional delay for the renovation project as a whole. All too often Mundy has the details in place — contracts sent out to bid, then awarded and all systems ready months before the official approval arrives from SHPO. “The challenges are more frustrating than they are difficult. You have the money, you have the plans and you are just waiting for the state to give you the green light,” she explained.

Jobs for Local Contractors

To date the Strand restoration project has paid out over $1.5M to local contractors. Much of the work has been done in the interior of the building. Completed projects include the fire protection and sprinkler systems as well as the heating and electric systems. “All of the contractors that we have used so far are local,” Mundy stated proudly.

Pro Bono Contract Work

Much to the delight of Mundy and the NCCCA, Plattsburgh area businesses and contractors have been exceedingly generous with offers of donated services. Major donations that are initially covered within a grant budget allow those funds to go toward additional improvements within the theater. “A lot of our contractors get the contract and then become emotionally involved in the project,” Mundy explained, “This sometimes leads to volunteer or donated services.” Recent examples of significant donations from local contractors include the $40,000 fire escape fabrication provided by Jeffords Steel and Engineering Co. of Plattsburgh, a $29,000 ceiling insulation job provided by ECP Building Envelope Specialists Inc., and $25,000 for theater lighting from Schonbek/Swarovski Crystal.

Statewide Recognition

The Strand restoration project recently received a boost from Governor Cuomo’s 2012 regionalized approach to funding economic development in the State. An impressive $397,000 award was allocated to the Strand thanks to the efforts of the North Country Regional Economic Council. The award was part of a total package for the region that will provide a $103.2 million boost to the local economy.

The Home Stretch

The Strand restoration project is currently under the gun to complete all the projects included under a $600,000 historic preservation matching grant that was awarded in 2008. The pressure is on because that grant needs to be spent by the close of 2012. “We have been in a holding pattern since last fall to bid the auditorium work. We just recently received the green light,” Mundy said. Projects included in this round of renovations include repairing the ceiling that was damaged by many leaks over the years, re-painting the auditorium walls and the installation of the new heating system. Once these jobs are completed, all the major repairs and systems updates will be complete and Mundy can set her sights on the smaller details such as theater wall coverings and seating that will transform a regular auditorium into a historic theater.

When all is said and done the plan is to end with a zero balance for the restoration project, thanks to Mundy’s hard work and the generosity of local contractors and arts supporters.

Mundy and a small advisory board have raised approximately $1.2M locally to kick off the final capital campaign for the restoration. Another $1.2M has been awarded in grant funding. The group is preparing to launch a community-wide fundraising campaign in April to raise what they hope will be the last $500,000 needed to complete the project.

Once operational, the theater will run on revenues generated from shows, sponsorships and programming. Mundy had the foresight to include the first year’s operating budget in the cost of the renovation, bringing us one step closer to opening night. If things progress as planned, a theater director could be hired as soon as this summer to start planning a calendar of events for the coming year.