What’s Next For The Chateau Theatre? – UPDATE

Earlier this week while out on my daily rounds I happened to notice a beehive of activity in and around the Chateau Theatre in downtown Rochester.

I think I have mentioned to you a few times before that I attend many concerts every year. Some of the most memorable are those in an old, renovated theater setting such as the State, Orpheum, and Pantages in Minneapolis, or the Hoyt-Sherman in Des Moines, or several in Madison & Milwaukee that fall in the same category of 'HISTORIC'. Or, how about a place like the 'The Dakota'? Most are well run, some are up-scale, but all have a special ambience and charm about them that adds nicely to the overall performance of whoever it I'm watching perform. Who knows, sometimes legend has stories of old venues like these being HAUNTED! (The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville comes to mind)

Could you imagine a venue like that in downtown Rochester on Peace Plaza? I could!

Earlier this week while out on my daily rounds I happened to notice a beehive of activity in and around the Chateau Theatre. I noticed ladders, hard hats, and construction workers removing some scaffolding. I was curious so I asked a few questions and snapped a few photos. In the process of doing that I would also run into Steven Schmidt, General Manager - City Of Rochester Music Dept & Riverside Concerts in a back alley (photo below) adjacent to the Chateau. I asked Steven what all the activity was about on this particular morning. I was curious, so I asked.

Below

• (in bullet-points) are some of the main points Steven shared with me.

• The City of Rochester owns The Chateau Theatre; it is a DMC project.
• The Reuse Task Force, empaneled by Mayor Brede, is studying how the City might convert the building into a multipurpose
  performing arts center.
• The consulting team the City has retained hopes to complete the study and submit it to the Task Force in late October/early November; the study will include a market analysis, potential design/construction options and cost estimates, and an operating/business plan.
• The Task Force will then prepare and transmit recommendations to the City Council.
• The Council will determine if/how/when it wishes to proceed with the next phase of Chateau Theatre development.

I hope you find the above info helpful. As I mentioned above, I would love to see an upscale performance venue downtown. Everything you could hope to know about 'The Chateau' project can be found HERE

-Steve Richards ~ Quick Country Weekends ~ Rochester's New Country Leader