David Johnson talks about renovations that are needed in the community theater of the Memorial Auditorium.Folding yellow chairs intermingle with hardback wooden chairs from the 1920s. Peeling paint mars the ceiling. Stage upholstery shows the wear of nearly 50 years of service.
This is Chattanooga's Community Theater, and it has seen better days.
But city officials have kicked off a campaign to resurrect the old theater.
The theater is part of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium, and together they once made up the only venue in Chattanooga suitable for everything from high school stage productions to political rallies to professional wrestling.
The auditorium has been renovated twice - the most recent work was completed in 1991 - and is usable despite the advent of newer, bigger competitors. But the theater hasn't had any touch-ups since 1964 and today is used only for church services.
Given the theater's condition, "we don't actually promote this as a venue at all," said Missy Crutchfield, administrator for the city's Department of Education, Arts and Culture. "We discourage it."
Crutchfield's department is spearheading the effort to raise money for an estimated $1 million renovation of the theater. The hope is to make the venue suitable again for community theater events or musical shows.
Retired Rear Adm. Vance Fry is co-chairman of a steering committee that is looking at an overall picture of Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium. Working with Crutchfield's department, the committee wants to make the whole building more welcoming and more of a memorial to area veterans.
Fry said part of the vision involves making the Community Theater viable again.
"It's going to be a pretty complete face-lift," he said.
Jim Bailiff, president of the Chattanooga Music Club and co-chairman of the steering committee, said the idea is to get more Chattanoogans inside Memorial Auditorium.
"We want them to discover what they own," he said.
GRANTS WILL HELP
Crutchfield said the department has applied for almost $600,000 in grants and has about $300,000 left from the 1991 work.
But even if all the grants are approved, the sum is still short of the total estimated renovation cost of about $1 million, she said.
The city hopes to raise more money by selling brass memorial seat plaques for $150 each. The "In Honor Of" or "In Memory Of" plaques will be installed permanently on the backs of seats in the auditorium. They won't be placed on the backs of the theater seats because all those need to be replaced.
Crutchfield said she also plans to seek city money.
THEATER NEEDS• Original 1920s seats are in disrepair and don't meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards• No elevator to assist the disabled• No easy access to bathrooms for the disabled• Water damage on ceiling and walls• Mixture of folding and permanent chairs within the theaterSource: Department of Education, Arts and CultureTO BUY A PLAQUETo buy a plaque for Memorial Auditorium seating and Community Theater capital improvements, go to www.chattanoogaonstage.com. Engraved brass plaques are $150 and will be mounted on the backs of seats in Memorial Auditorium.
"Next year, I will be going forward to the City Council," she said.
Crutchfield said she hopes the renovations can include a handicapped-accessible elevator, better seating, new curtains for the stage and repairs to water-damaged plaster and paint. No date has been set for the start of construction, she said.
David Johnson, facilities manager of Memorial Auditorium, underscored the need for renovations.
The stage curtains are almost in tatters, he said, sitting down on one of the original 1924 hardback seats.
"They're all right for about 10 minutes," he said. "Then your legs go numb."
Memorial Auditorium was built in 1924 and first was used as a roller rink. In the years since, it has hosted concerts, ice shows, political rallies and the annual Cotton Ball.
After its 1991 renovation, it went from being a multipurpose hall to primarily an entertainment venue. This year the auditorium hosted such musical acts as Elton John and Maroon 5, as well as theatrical shows like "Cats" and "Legally Blonde: The Musical."
The Community Theater was used for high school stage productions and smaller shows until it fell into such disrepair the city used it only for church functions.
A STEPPINGSTONE VENUE
The theater is on the third floor of Memorial Auditorium and offers a more intimate setting.
Where the auditorium seats 3,800, the theater seats about 750.
Johnson said a renovated Community Theater would be an asset for all stages in the area.
The Chattanooga Theatre Center, a nonprofit company that does community theater, can hold only small numbers of people, he said.
The theater at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga holds about 500 people, and the Tivoli Theatre seats 1,762.
The Community Theater would be a good steppingstone between UTC's Theater and the Tivoli, he said.
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MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM TIMELINE
• 1918: Kiwanis Club proposes the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium
• 1924: Memorial Auditorium opens with Community Theater on the third floor
• 1966: Auditorium reopens after a year of renovations, including Community Theater
• 1991: Auditorium reopens after 18-month, renovation not including Community Theater
• 2010: Department of Education, Arts and Culture kicks off campaign to renovate Community Theater
Source: Department of Education, Arts and Culture