Historic Theatre Preservation: 10 Steps for Restoring Historic Theaters

Do you have an historic theatre in your community that you are working to revitalize? Here are 10 steps you can take to organize your historic theatre preservation project from The National Trust for Historic Preservation:

PreservationNation blog readers love historic theaters with a capital LOVE, reading and liking and commenting in overdrive whenever we share a restoration or reuse story. And really, what’s not to love? Theaters evoke wonderful memories of experiencing art, enjoying architecture, and spending time with loved ones.

Plus, historic theaters are proven community revitalizers and economic drivers. Not only do they generate an impact of at least $2-$3 per dollar spent on tickets, but they also catalyze other business development, create jobs, and improve the local quality of life.

But restoring a historic theater is no small undertaking. In fact, the average historic theater project costs between $5 and $30 million, opens in 5 to 10 years from inception, and requires dozens of consultants. In this toolkit, we share the essential steps in bringing a historic theater back to life so it can be the site of many more happy memories to come. READ MORE about steps top restore an historic theatre from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

ABOUT THEATRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA: Founded by Ben Hall in 1969, the Theatre Historical Society of America (THS) celebrates, documents and promotes the architectural, cultural and social relevance of America’s historic theatres. Through its preservation of the collections in the American Theatre Architecture Archive, its signature publication Marquee™ and Conclave Theatre Tour, THS increases awareness, appreciation and scholarly study of America’s theatres.
Learn more about historic theatres in the THS American Theatre Architecture Archives and on our website at historictheatres.org