Buffalo-based car dealership chain buys Auditorium Theatre naming rights

Marcia Greenwood, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Updated ·1 min read

Rochester’s Auditorium Theatre has a new name: West Herr Auditorium Theatre.

Rochester Broadway Theatre League, which has owned the theater since 2004, announced the naming-rights agreement with the Buffalo area-based chain of car dealerships at a Tuesday morning press conference.

The 2,500-seat theater is within the Auditorium complex, which RBTL bought earlier this year, and it too has new name: West Herr Performing Arts Center.

In addition, West Herr will contribute to the cost of major renovations to the facility, plans for which were announced in March.

“Since 1930, the Auditorium complex has been a landmark in Rochester and, in recent years, one that has deserved to be brought back to its original glory,” RBTL CEO Arnie Rothschild said in a statement Tuesday.

Auditorium Theatre in Rochester on March 12, 2019.
Auditorium Theatre in Rochester on March 12, 2019.

An RBTL spokesperson declined to comment on West Herr’s financial stake. But six months ago, Rothschild said the league planned to raise $6 million for upgrades through the sale of naming rights and other programs.

Restorations will be done in two phases. The first, costing around $12.5 million, will be offset by $2.9 million from New York state, the spokesperson said. The second will run upwards of $40 million, and RBTL will be lobbying for more state money and federal money, she said.

Founded in 1950, West Herr now has 35 locations stretching from Erie County to Syracuse, including 11 in the Rochester area.

In the same statement, its president and CEO Scott Bieler said, “West Herris thrilled to partner with RBTL to create a new Performing Arts Center for Rochester.”

He said the company is “dedicated to the communities in which we live and work, and so this partnership solidifies our long-term commitment to the Rochester community.”

Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: West Herr Auto Group buys Auditorium Theatre naming rights