Call for help estimating the Uptown budgets
Reopen the Uptown Theater
I have recently become active with the planning for reopening the historical Uptown Theater. The building on Broad Street between Susquehanna and Dauphin Streets has suffered many years of neglect and will require substantial investment in time, effort, expertise, and money. The work is being done under the auspices of the building’s owner: the 501 c 3 charity known as the Uptown Entertainment and Development Corporation (UEDC). Contributions are most welcome and are tax-deductible to the full extent of the IRS code. See the Uptown web site http://www.philadelphiauptowntheatre.org/
Community Magic
During the last many years, I have been studying and promoting the idea that people can and should be more helpful to each other through a project called Community Magic. Community Magic believes that a society concentrating on being helpful can vastly improve the health, well-being and good fortune of all the people. Community Magic is now a project of UEDC. You can see the Community Magic web site here: https://communitymagic.org
Community Magic in turn operates Wikidelphia, a wiki (or shared writing space) for Philadelphia,patterned loosely after Wikipedia. Wikidelphia can be found here: http://wikidelphia.org – You are cordially invited to obtain a password for editing pages and entering new pages on Wikidelphia. Community Magic intends to engage with the Uptown to strengthen the benefit of both programs to the North Philadelphia community.
What we need now: A financial consultant
As part of the work to reopen the Uptown Theater, the planning team is seeking the help of a financial consulting group with expertise in the entertainment industry. We need an experienced consultant to help estimate how much the Uptown can earn and how much it would cost to operate the venue as it goes through various multi-year stages of development.
A multi-year plan
The earliest stage will be to simply promote events and organize a seating arrangement that will utilize the area of sidewalk and the area of street parking immediately in front of the building.
As a second stage of development, a performance venue will be created within the lobby area of the Uptown building. This area will be used by the Uptown management to produce events and may also earn money by serving as a community meeting space and entertainment hall.
A third level of renovation will bring the balcony of the theater into play as an extension of the lobby performance space. Approximately at this stage, rental of office spaces on the upper floors of the front tower will become part of the building’s operating income.
And, as a final stage, the 2,000 seat auditorium and basement areas will be brought into play for film, video and live performances, catered events, and other community activities, with a commercial kitchen in the basement.
How you can help
While much work has already gone into architectural plans and financial estimates of the cost and revenue potential for the complete renovation, budget estimates must now be developed for the various stages of renovation. If you know of a consulting organization with expertise and experience estimating the value of an entertainment, performance and community space such as the Uptown will be, please contact:
Linda Waters Richardson, President
Uptown Entertainment and Development Corporation
2227 N Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19132
lrichardson.uptown@gmail.com
215-236-1878
215-236-1878-fax
– Stan Pokras, Instigator of Community Magic