Op-Ed: The Academy of Fine Arts … Can We Build It? Yes, We Can

By Kimball Payne
Published: July 12, 2008

Editor’s Note: Lynchburg City Manager Kimball Payne spoke at the June 26 groundbreaking for the Academy of Fine Arts flytower. The following column is an expansion of his remarks that day.

I don’t normally speak at events like this, preferring to leave that to the elected officials and, when asked to speak, I initially declined. But after thinking about it, I decided that I had something to say that I think is important.

First of all, I want to extend my congratulations to the Academy of Fine Arts on this milestone accomplishment. If the end is not in sight, it is surely just over the horizon.

The completion of the restoration of the historic Academy theatre will activate one of the last major downtown anchors. There has been a significant list of accomplishments in downtown revitalization in the last five-10 years, including Amazement Square, Riverviews, the new Federal Courthouse, Ninth Street and Riverfront improvements, Monument Terrace, the Historic Courthouse, City Market Lofts and the Bluffwalk Centre.

(All of these accomplishments are important to a vibrant, economically strong downtown, an area that produces tax revenues rather than merely draining them from other areas of the city. Studies from other cities with restored theaters have demonstrated that they play a key role in an economically revitalized downtown commercial district. Theaters provide a sizeable customer base for restaurants and retailers and they attract tourist dollars from patrons who live outside of the community. Historic theaters bring evening activity to a downtown, helping to create a safe and vibrant environment. They can also stimulate private investment on nearby properties and can serve as a positive public relations catalyst for a community.)

I encourage the greater Lynchburg community to embrace the restoration of the historic Academy theatre as the “Next Big Thing” in downtown Lynchburg, but, it is not just for Lynchburg, it is for the entire Region 2000 area.

For nearly 50 years, two organizations primarily, The Academy of Music and now the Academy of Fine Arts, have held this historic theater in trust for the community. It is now time for the community to respond to that stewardship by getting behind a broad based effort to complete its restoration.

To do so the entire community, everyone, regardless of their address, their ethnicity, their age or their artistic preferences must believe that this facility is here for them. Public funds — local, state, and federal — have already gone into this project and, to me, that implies an obligation that this facility offer arts and cultural opportunities for the widest possible audience. I envision a theater that will showcase everything from hip-hop to opera. I’m not sure that those are opposite ends of the artistic spectrum, but I think that you will see my point. It is that kind of variety that makes similar venues in other communities successful. (The Paramount Theatre just up the road in Charlottesville is a good example of a successful venue bringing a diversity of shows to the community.)

The Academy of Fine Arts has done a wonderful job in reaching out to diverse audiences with a variety of classes, shows and other events, but I believe that there is a great opportunity for a broader outreach to embrace the entire community so that all together we can complete the restoration of the historic theater.

Let me tell you what I think is at stake. I want to make three points.

First, it’s just time to get this done. After nearly 50 years, I’m not sure how much longer we have got. The reconstruction of the flytower is a great start, but we must maintain the momentum that this brings.

Second, one of the top goals, if not the top priority, of the Regional Economic Development Council, the area chambers of commerce and area businesses is to attract and retain the quality workforce that will be critical to this area’s economic health. To attract that workforce in today’s competitive environment you have offer a quality of life and amenities that sets your community apart. The arts play a critical role in that effort.

If you don’t believe me, ask a representative of Areva how important this facility could be in helping them to attract 500 new engineers, who probably have their choice of where to live, anywhere in the world. Ask Areva how important a historic theater with a diversity of shows could be to attract them to this community. I suspect many of those engineers will be young people who are attracted to venues that can provide them a varied arts and cultural experience.

And that leads me to my third and final point. I would like you to think about the completed facility, with its 900-seat main theater and its other gathering spaces, such as the warehouse theater, as the major component, in coordination with the Holiday Inn Select and other lodging in and around downtown (including the Craddock Terry Hotel and nearby bed and breakfasts) as our community civic center for a variety of events.

The desire for a civic center in this community is often expressed but is strangled by the challenge of raising the tens of millions of dollars to build one from scratch. I submit to you that we have the components of a civic center already in place right here if we only recognize and seize the opportunity.

So, let’s get to work on the “Next Big Thing” and make this incredible facility, the historic Academy theatre, available to the community as an arts and cultural centerpiece.

Payne is city manager of Lynchburg. Contact him at .