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I wish that Huntington could support a venue like this one being completed in Grand Rapids MI. I think the size of the venue in GR would work well in Huntington.
Given the history and tradition of the Keith-Albee, proposing a plan than completely renovates it will face a ton of opposition from the community. Also the theater is on the Register of Historical Places so I'm not sure how much you can change the inside. Plus there have been ongoing historical preservation projects ongoing the last few years to improve the theater.
It's obviously a great venue for theater shows, big band and orchestra shows but hosting comedy and pop/rock concerts isn't the best use of the facility, in my opinion.
I like the idea of a designated venue, around 2500 to 2700 capacity, for comedy and concerts. Many cities have similar venues and I think the idea would play well in Huntington.
I can't tell what will work in HTS any more, but I think we do need a moderately sized place for events. The Keith is too large for some and apparently costs and arm and a leg in costs to do anything there (inflexible). The BSSSA is only good for what it is good for, and the V Club, although they bring in some top-notch talent, is too small.
I think this would be a good thing to look into but one thing I'd like to see first is looking into venues that currently exist that might be able to provide such a space. The Keith seats around 2,400 from things that I've seen. If that is too big for a show, we have both the auditorium in City Hall and the Jeslyn PAC that both seat just shy of 1,000 I believe. It would be nice to see these 3 spaces in a kind of network where you used one venue or the other based on the size of the show you were looking for. You might also be able to do something nice in the Elks Club space too.
I remember hearing once that the capacity at the Keith-Albee is around 3k. I'm not sure where to find the exact number to be honest.
Tim, I think your idea is moving in the right direction I just don't know if the City Hall Auditorium and Jeslyn PAC would be the best venues for a rock concert for example. Jeslyn seems better suited for the classes they host and the smaller scale shows that can come from them. The City Hall Auditorium is nice but again I'm not sure it is the best venue for certain acts plus I'm not sure either could or would be willing to apply for a liquor license. That revenue is vital.
The venue I highlighted up in Grand Rapids, they have either existed for a while or are popping up in cities across the country and they are good draws for the younger generations. The Mill & Mine in Knoxville is another example of a newer concert venue that is doing well along with Saint Andrews Hall in Detroit.
Do a Google Image search for The Mill & Mine. A venue patterned after that building would look great in downtown Huntington. I think it would compliment the other venues.
I was thinking of the Mill & Mine and White Oak in Houston when you mentioned this. Both the Huntington and Charleston areas have a lack of SRO/GA venues sufficient for many nationally-touring acts. The V Club is great, don't get me wrong, but it is undersized in this context. The City Hall Auditorium, Keith-Albee, etc., all have permanent seating and would be cumbersome to retrofit. Heck, if we could even get something like Mr. Smalls in Pittsburgh, I'd count that as a huge win.
However, the venue is half the battle. You have to have dedicated people booking these shows as well as funding sources to get some bands to come out of the ways a bit to Huntington. It's not impossible, but it's a difficult model with which to work for sure.
I think having the venue would help both a promoter, bands and even comedians come to Huntington since the resources are there to generate revenue.
Even a concept similar to the Brooklyn Bowl could possibly help draw more people out to the venue.
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