Answer Woman: Why renovate Asheville's Thomas Wolfe Auditorium instead of building new?

ASHEVILLE - Today's burning question is about the multimillion dollar projects proposed to renovate the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium and if, instead, efforts should turn to a new performing arts center. Got a question for Answer Man or Answer Woman? Email Executive Editor Karen Chávez at KChavez@citizentimes.com and your question could appear in an upcoming column.

Question: With so much funding being used to modernize an outdated Thomas Wolfe Theater structure that has so many issues, why is there no discussion of building an up-to-date performance theater in a new location within the city limits that among other things has parking and easy access to I-240?

Answer: It's an interesting question and, it would seem, something of a perennial one. There has been a discussion around building an all-new performing arts center in Asheville. About two decades of discussion, actually.

The Citizen Times has been tracking that side of the story ― two 2014 articles ask the same questions we're asking now: Is a new performance center in Asheville "doable or pipe dream?" And, the eternal query: "What's going on?"

Per that December 2014 reporting, the Asheville Area Center for the Performing Arts, a nonprofit behind "an ambitious effort" to build a brand new stand-alone performing arts center, began work in the early-2000s.

Its board of directors first convened in 2004.

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The history of that work is detailed in an extensive memo written by Carol McCollum, one of the original members of the board, who still sits on the board of directors 19 years later.

In its nearly 20 years, the nonprofit had 38 board members, conducted extensive site research, raised funds, hired staff, including an executive director, and conducted studies. It held offices for several years, which were closed in 2019.

In one of the last mentions I can find in our archives, a 2020 article detailing the then newly-unveiled plans for a $100 million Thomas Wolfe Auditorium renovation, notably two months before COVID-19 shut down the world, it mentioned the group still had an active website. The link is now dead.

McCollum told the Citizen Times Oct. 16 that the nonprofit's work truly came to a halt in 2022, when after years of work with UNC Asheville, having concluded in 2015 that property owned by UNCA on Broadway was likely the only site sufficient to bring together needed public, private and institutional involvement, Chancellor Nancy Cable stepped down.

Barriers to success were numerous, McCollum said. While the Great Recession of 2008 was a major factor, as was the lack of a lead "mover and shaker," among the biggest hurdles was an inability to secure a family or individual willing to provide the funding for major naming rights.

Even now, McCollum said, she still feels a standalone performing arts center would be preferable, "but I have huge reservations that that's going to happen."

With a new performing art center likely "many years away," McCollum said she felt it was important the community get behind a major renovation of Thomas Wolfe.

Daniel Crupi, executive director of the Asheville Symphony, which has called the theater home for 55 years and is the venue's main tenant, said he's been aware of the efforts around a new performing arts center since before he started on the job in July 2019.

The Asheville Symphony was never involved in any formal capacity, he said, although select symphony board members were simultaneously involved with performing arts center discussions or fundraising efforts while serving on the symphony's board.

In his summation of events, including the intersecting barriers named by McCollum, "the AACPA never raised enough money to get the project off the ground and community support faltered as a result."

In theory, Crupi said, the construction of a new facility sounds amazing. There is no retrofitting involved, no historic architectural factors to consider, the limitations of the auditorium loading dock are mitigated, acoustics could be re-engineered from the ground up, and more.

"However, in short: Asheville has tried three separate times in three separate locations to build a new performing arts center, and each time has not been successful," he said.

While it could be accomplished, a renovation seems "more prudent and affordable," he said.

"The bottom line is that unless something major shifts within the next year, or unless someone were to donate an enormous piece of land, large enough for a 2,000+ seat venue, parking, loading, etc., I believe that pursuing a new location is unrealistic, as lovely as it sounds," Crupi said via email Oct. 16.

What now?

Chris Corl, the city's director of Community and Regional Entertainment Facilities, said from the city's perspective, "we would certainly be willing to entertain working with a group, if one existed, to create a new stand-alone performing arts center for the community."

"However, there have been groups over the years trying to accomplish this task and unfortunately thus far have been unsuccessful," Corl added.

The question of a possible new performing arts center has resurfaced following Thomas Wolfe's complete HVAC system failure this summer, which forced the venue to temporarily close, and harshly illuminated needed repairs, some of which are decades old.

Asheville City Council has indicated an appetite for two of the potential five projects proposed by city staff in September, the more ambitious project weighing in at $150 million, and the other at $125 million. Having received council direction, staff will begin exploring potential stakeholder partnerships, public input, economic business plans and financing feasibility for the possible options.

Side note: After being closed, in early October the auditorium reopened at a limited capacity of 1,200, but due to booking timelines with events, does not have any events scheduled until the first weekend of January. The auditorium is on track to open at full capacity in March 2024.

To renovate or not to renovate

At an August Town Hall, in which ArtsAVL convened a panel of speakers, Mayor Esther Manheimer fielded the question. She said since she took office in 2009, she's been part of countless meetings concerning a new performance art center in Asheville.

As she and Corl both noted, the city was an engaged partner in the conversation and went as far as committing a 2.7-acre property toward building a performing arts center in 2008. Corl said the land was held for 10 years, but a funding plan never came together.

“I think for now, the stars have aligned. It has become clear that a performing arts space might happen one day, but it’s not going to happen immediately, and there is demand for people to come back together in a venue like the Thomas Wolfe,” Manheimer said.

As Corl pointed out, a new facility would have a similar project budget per square foot compared to renovating Thomas Wolfe, but would also require land acquisition and parking considerations. Additionally, even if a new facility was funded, there are still millions of dollars worth of needs at Thomas Wolfe, a city owned facility.

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"Therefore the total cost of the two projects would quickly exceed that of renovating and expanding the current facility," he said.

While there is no specific project funding for a renovation of Thomas Wolfe, as of yet, he said, it is normal for projects such as this to be funded by corporate and private philanthropy in the amount of 40-60% the total project budget.

"Now is the time, if any of your readers out there have interest in helping to fund, or fundraise for a performing arts center project they should reach out to myself, The Asheville Symphony or AVL Arts," Corl said.

Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@citizentimes.com or message on Twitter at @slhonosky. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Answer Woman: New performing arts center vs Thomas Wolfe renovations?