Jervey Theatre restoration updates

Hurricane Ian destroyed our Jervey Theatre on Sept, 28, 2022. We want to keep you updated on our progress toward full recovery. What’s been happening? What’s still to come? The time frame? The cost?

What is insurance covering? One of the questions we hear a lot is, “Didn’t you have insurance?” I’d like to address that here. Of course, we did/do have building insurance, for the bank-appraised full value of the building, plus $1 million in business interruption insurance, for a total of $5.5 million. That was at an annual cost of just over $110,000. However, a number of factors have contributed to the vastly increased cost of the rebuild. The extent of the damage. First, we had extensive water damage on both sides of the building due to the amount of rain after the wall breach. There are currently 266 roof patches, just to allow us to use the Pinkerton Theatre on the west side of the building. We have already spent more than $5.9 million on repairs, including drying out the building, replacement of drywall, floor replacement, IT systems, phone and alarm systems, temporary electric runs to panels, and, of course, the roof. That’s before we started the rebuild. And we had subterranean damage: stage house foundations must be replaced.

The modern codes. We can’t replace what we had. Building and electric codes are far stricter (as they should be) than before. Besides the structure, transformers have to be moved by FPL, and the main input panel and low-voltage mains must be replaced. Some will have to be buried. Catwalks, although not damaged, must be replaced to meet modern safety codes.

Escalation and availability. A roof that cost us $225,000 in 2016 now costs $895,000 for the same roof. Building materials are still sky high and often delayed for months. 15-year-old incandescent stage lighting instruments were destroyed. While they worked before the storm, they’re not available for purchase anymore. We need to transition to full LED stage lighting, which is about 10 times the cost per instrument ($300 vs. $3000/instrument). The digital lighting instruments that we did have for the Jervey Theatre were destroyed in the storm, as well. The seats were soaked; exposure since then has made them irredeemable. New seats are now more than twice the cost than before. In negotiating this redesign, we have eliminated the frills. We have also, though, attempted to make the theatre operational and fully functional for another generation. I compare this situation to trying to buy a new car with the insurance payout on a totaled used car. It’s never enough to cover the cost of the replacement. The older the car, the larger the gap.

I hope this and the rest of the information on this page answers most of your questions. We want to keep everyone informed as we move forward.

To all who have helped us get to this point, we say a huge “thank you.” We will continue to need many things to make a full comeback. Your encouragement is vital. The need is urgent.

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Since Sept. 28, 2022

We’ve cleared the storm debris, established a secure perimeter, and removed the remaining parts of the destroyed fly loft. The cement for the new foundation has been poured and the footers are being sealed.

The building now has temporary air conditioning, internet, phone service, and a working elevator and marquee! New drywall and flooring has been installed and electricians have completely rewired the theatre and the main exterior connections.

Back to entertaining audiences!

We’ve re-energized and re-opened the Pinkerton Theatre and lobby in the main building, and have been producing since January 2023. A full season of ’24-’25 Pinkerton Theatre shows is on sale now. We are using borrowed seating from our friends at Theatre Winter Haven, rehabilitated lighting and sound equipment, and temporary dressing rooms.

More in 2023 and 2024 – Xanadu was a huge hit in March, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again] took audiences for a wild ride in May, we did an encore of The Cemetery Club in the summer, we had a blast with the hilarious musical Reefer Madness, and we ended the 74th Season with the bank heist comedy, Bank Job.

Our third building to the rescue!

We’ve converted our third building on campus—The Raymond Center—into a temporary, 130-seat thrust theatre and have been producing there since Nov. 18, 2022. This includes seating from the Pinkerton Theatre and borrowed seats from our friends at Manatee Performing Arts Center, as well as rented lighting equipment on a huge discount from 4 Wall Lighting.

The Raymond Center was to begin a 6-month renovation into an Education Center beginning in November 2022; those plans are on hold until the Jervey Theatre is back up and running.

One of our favorite shows of 2023 – THE ADDAMS FAMILY!

We’re presenting concerts at two other local venues, the Venice Performing Arts Center and the Venice Community Center.

All 2024-2025 concerts will be on sale soon. Tickets for Broadway star Norm Lewis are already on sale now!

Browse and Buy

Open for building, painting, rehearsals and more!

We’ve repaired the damaged roof and air conditioning in the Boldt Technical Arts Center, and re-established full temporary power. A million thank yous to Donna and Jim Boldt, seated center, whose transformational gift of one million dollars is helping to restore our campus after Hurricane Ian.

Completed – All city approvals!

The Venice City Council has approved:

• the rezoning of the theatre from the “Venice Avenue Business District” to the “Downtown Edge District.
• the site-and-development plan
• the height exception for a taller fly loft
• The Historical and Architectural Preservation Board (HAPB) has approved the exterior redesign

More progress

• FPL relocated the exterior pole and transformers, including burying some of the lines to the Tech Arts Center and Michael Biehl Park. The current main exterior line has been removed.
• Foundation work, partial demolition of the remaining stage house, and shoring work has been completed.
• The old stage house has been cleared and concrete repoured, at approximately two feet depth.
• Steel beams have been milled, and are prepared to build the vertical structure.

Fixing the hole

What we’ve done so far are temporary measures, to be sure. What really needs to happen to make the theatre whole….is to fix the hole. We must rebuild the entire stage house and completely rehabilitate the Jervey auditorium.

Much has changed locally since the theatre became a theatre, and since the fly loft was added. Some folks do not know that prior to becoming Venice Theatre, the building served as the gymnasium and armory for the Kentucky Military Institute. Basketball games were a staple of winter activity in the space.

As late as 1995, two other businesses were a part of the theatre’s city block. ABC Liquor/J.D. Penguin’s Bar sat behind the theatre (now the Technical Arts Center), and Stormin’ Norman’s Bar/Wedgewood Restaurant was attached to it on the east (now Michael Biehl Park). Those businesses went away during the expansion of the north bridge onto the island circa 2000. Venice Theatre purchased the old liquor store and parking lot in 2003. Subsequently the city ceded the former alleyway to the theatre, giving us contiguous property.

To that end, we plan to improve the building as we restore it. This will involve a small expansion, as well as substantial upgrades for volunteer and staff safety, industry standards and technology.

This will involve:

• a 10-foot expansion of the backstage area toward the north of the building
• raising the height of the fly loft, to improve visuals, staff and volunteer safety, and the top space to maintain and repair the system
• raising the height of the stage left (eastern) backstage area, to allow scenery to roll off unimpeded (currently the limit is 11 feet).
• providing a “load rail” for the counterweights, which currently have to be done with lots of people, lots of rope, and lots of hope.
• providing a wheelchair lift backstage to improve accessibility
• providing a cargo lift against the back wall backstage
• providing stairs, not ladders to access higher levels

• reimagining the shape of the stage opening for better visibility and operation
• rebuilding the stage floor from ground up, as it was severely damaged by the storm

• replacing the current seating, as it was ruined by the torrential rains after the theatre wall collapsed

• replacing the old lighting, sound, and A/V systems with modern, more efficient technology
• replacing old restrooms and restoring dressing rooms backstage for actors and crew

Also, we will need to the make the following infrastructure improvements:

• Move FPL power source to a different location on the property, and the main power feed to the west side of the building. Additionally, some of the power line— and telephone and internet lines—will need to be buried. Power lines and panels within the building will have to be re-run in a more secure manner, to prevent destruction by a future hurricane. (DONE!)
• Moving of all air conditioners onto the roof, which will require a stronger support deck.
• New foundation being injected below the stage floor, due to severe storm damage to stage
  foundation.
• Raising of the west sidewalk to satisfy FEMA elevation requirements

Re-opening

The rebuilding process is a real eye-opener for the uninitiated. The design and construction process is complex and time-consuming. Even so, the restoration has moved forward steadily, with anticipated funding and completed plans to re-open by late 2025.

However, much has changed since mid-June, 2024. First, $6 million from the Office of Housing and Urban Development was denied to Venice Theatre, the largest community theatre in the State of Florida, and second largest in the nation. Venice Theatre had anticipated this funding for more than a year since the Resilient SRQ Hurricane Relief Plan was introduced. Then, promised funding from VT’s commercial lender never materialized. And last, the gubernatorial veto of arts funding from the state—funding used responsibly for more than 25 years—came as another shock. These losses will push back the anticipated date of saving our 75-year-old theatre.

With a firm $25 million campaign goal, of which nearly 40% has been raised, the remaining funds must be secured to completely restore the Jervey Theatre. Venice Theatre has already completed $5.9 million in repairs. Now, steel beams must be raised, the roof installed, and the interior finished. In order to open the Jervey Theatre, we urgently need your support. Meanwhile, we will continue to perform and present in our four different venues:

• The Pinkerton Theatre,
• The Raymond Center
• Venice Performing Arts Center
• Venice Community Center

Many thanks to Sweet-Sparkman, our architect, and Magnum Builders, our contractor, for moving this process forward. Thanks also to our theatre architectural consultant, Stages, of Highland Park, New Jersey. A special thanks goes to the Boone Law Firm, who is taking charge of the governmental aspects and donating its services.