PPAC Unveils Newly Restored Facade -- "Big" Announcement Expected Mid-April
GoLocalProv News Team and Kate Nagle
PPAC Unveils Newly Restored Facade -- "Big" Announcement Expected Mid-April
PPAC Vice President Alan Chille told GoLocal the plans to restore the theater's 2,300 terra cotta stones began back in 2016, and that one of the few silver linings of the pandemic was that work could be done on the theater without inconveniencing patrons.
"How it all started, the stones were beginning to crack, and some small pieces fell to the ground," said Chille. "In 2016 we realized we needed to hire a manufacturer to make this type of terra cotta stone. It took us a while to get one -- a company in California.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST"It was 2,300 stones — 400 had to be completely remade, 1000 need to be repaired, and 900 had to be cleaned," he said.
"All of the stones got touched," said Chille, of hiring Consigli Construction to do the work, who just finished last week.
"It was quite a process," he said. " It’s historically correct — it’s an art that’s not there anymore. If there was any upside about closing [during coronavirus], we were able to do this."
The new facade will soon be lit up with the installation of new lighting.
"We have architectural lighting we'll have programmed, so we’ll have light on the facade," said Chille. "No one usually looks up at the building. Having this lighting will make it a focal point."
According to Chille, the restoration -- which was "about two million dollars" -- was made possible through contributions from the RI Historic Preservation Commission, Champlin Foundation, and an anonymous donor — as well as the $3 restoration fee that is added on to every show ticket, which Chille said was the "bulk" of the funds.
Looking Ahead
PPAC President Lynn Singleton said Tuesday that a "big" announcement is expected in mid-April for the theater that has been shuttered throughout the pandemic.
"We’re hopeful — we’re preparing to make all of our announcements in mid-April," said Singleton. "So stay tuned for that."
Singleton talked about being in discussions with the "theater world," and how Rhode Island differs from Broadway -- and how PPAC has seen continued support, even during the pandemic.
"New York is looking at this fall [for reopening]," said Singleton. "They have a separate set of challenges. [Most recently], 65% of the tickets there had been bought by people who do not have New York or surrounding area zip codes; 50% were bought in the preceding ten days."
"For us, when went out for renewal [during the pandemic], we renewed at 80% — even if with the movement of shows, we’ve had very few or little refunds," said Singleton. "The reality is they trust us — they know if they need their money back, we'll give it back. People want to return to normalcy."