Efforts to renovate the West Theater, 317-319 N. Central Ave., are approaching completion, but the project has been temporarily held up, waiting on steel to be delivered for the construction of a period-appropriate marquee.
The renovation of the 80-plus-year-old art deco theater is being spearheaded by Bob Boone, publisher of the Reader Weekly, a free Duluth-based alternative news publication. Boone formed Paladin Properties LLC to purchase the former theater for $140,500 in October of 2016.
But he said the project has faced numerous delays due to complicated permits, structural challenges, difficulties lining up contractors and the lead time involved in procuring needed materials, such as the steel that will go into the theater's marquee.
While he frankly doesn't know when it will be delivered, Boone said the steel could arrive any day now. Once it's on site, he has been told the marquee will take about 45 days to complete.
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Boone initially aimed to open the theater by June 30, but that date has been pushed back.
The city rejected Boone's original marquee design when it failed what he called a "hurricane test." He said it involved using computer modeling to demonstrate that the marquee could withstand 115 mph winds from any direction without flexing three-sixteenths of an inch or more.
The marquee ultimately had to be redesigned and rebid both for materials and construction, resulting jn delays and added costs, Boone said.
All told, with cost overruns factored in, Boone now expects to spend more than $900,000 to complete the project.
Boone also had to figure out how to absorb another unexpected cost.
In July, Paladin bought a neighboring structure, the former Alhambra Theater at 321 N. Central Ave for $200,000, in anticipation of future expansion.
When the property went on the market, Boone decided to seize the opportunity, even though the timing was less than ideal from his finance partners' perspectives.
"We're over budget and late. So it's not a good time for them to think about jumping off more cliffs with me," he said, but Boone successfully made the case that he should move ahead with the purchase nevertheless.
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A number of partners have lined up to provide Boone with support. The Duluth Economic Development Authority granted him a $50,000 forgivable loan. The Duluth 1200 Fund provided him with a $50,000 low-interest loan. Additional financial support has come through the Entrepreneur Fund, the Northspan Group Inc., the Northland Foundation and Park State Bank.
Heather Rand, Duluth's business development director, compared the West Theater project to the recent renovation of NorShor Theatre in the downtown's Historic Arts and Theatre District.
"It's not as large in scope, but it's still critically important for the western part of our community. I really see it as a center for performing arts," she said.
"Not only will there be movies but also live performance, that could be music or comedy, and I know he has some space in his lobby for displays of fine arts - paintings, sculpture, etc. So we're really excited about that concept for the Spirit Valley/West Duluth area," Rand said.
Boone said the original vision for the theater has shifted slightly.
"It's probably going to be a first-run movie theater first - we'll be showing 'Mission Impossible' the same week it comes out at Lakes 10 - and a concert hall second. Then there's a stage that would allow some small plays," he said.
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The theater will have 224 seats fixed in place, plus open space where the front couple of rows would be. If chairs were placed there, the capacity could be boosted to about 250, Boone said.
Many locals seem eager to see a theater back in their neighborhood, he said, and dozens of people have stopped by to share fond memories of the West Theater with him. "Whenever I'm there working, someone comes up to me and thanks me," Boone said.
He has taken pains to recreate the original Streamline Moderne style of the theater, searching out period-appropriate items nationwide, taking cues from old photos, repairing water-damaged plaster and recreating sweeping lines throughout the interior.
"I think West Duluth really needs this, and by the time it's through - especially if I have something in the building next door - you're going to see a lot more reasons for people to come to West Duluth," Boone said.
If you go
- What: "Light up the Marquee" fundraiser for West Theater
- Where: Clyde Iron Works, 2920 W. Michigan St., Duluth
- When: 5-8 p.m. Thursday
- Cost: $10 in advance, $15 at the door, with tickets available at Duluth Grill, Zenith Bookstore, Beaner's Central and Art in the Alley.
