Memorial Hall Renovation: $11M project the latest in Elm St. renaissance скачать в хорошем качестве

Memorial Hall Renovation: $11M project the latest in Elm St. renaissance

CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Memorial Hall is back open for business Friday, December 2, after an $11 million renovation. The 108-year-old performance and exhibition space was lovingly restored and updated with air conditioning, a catering kitchen, and is now handicapped accessible. Memorial Hall is just the latest project on a block where everything old is new again. Since 1878, Robert McCook has kept a close eye on the 1200 block of Elm Street from his perch in Washington Park. He's seen a lot of things come and go and watched the sparks of Over-The-Rhine's rebirth catch fire. Friday's ribbon-cutting at Memorial Hall is just the latest project coming to life. An $11 million renovation brings the 1908 building comfortably into the 21-century. Every surface of the building was touched. All the fantastic artisanship, the paint, masonry was all restored throughout the building. First floor ballrooms that once hosted meetings of civil war and Spanish-American war veterans were updated. Exhibit and event space today was filled with "Brickmas," a holiday attraction built with Legos. The second and third floor Anderson Auditorium was beautifully redone but not made over. It looks the same, just newer. But it's not the same, the improvements were there, unnoticed until showtime. Melvin Gravely, Pres/CEO Triversity Construction, said, "We've got back of the house technology that is state of the art. So whether it's the ability to put movies on the screen or to have the best artist and the best sound and accoustics, we've done it all in the building and it's ready to go." They've already booked everything from Roseanne Cash to Rue Paul. The renovation paid close attention to detail and the bottom line, literally. The new seats in the theatre look old but are new with cushions on the back and seat. And they were wider to accommodate a 21st century bottom. They also work for mid-20th century bottoms. The Memorial Hall project wraps up Friday but is surrounded by ongoing construction. In a year or two, the Elm Street corridor will be alive. And after standing in line for 130 years, Colonel McCook will have a front-row seat for it all.