The City of Rochester has received four proposals for the use of Midtown Parcel 5 on Main Street, among them the Rochester Broadway Theater League’s concept of a downtown performing arts center.
Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren says the city isn’t commenting on the four proposals at this time.
In addition to the RBTL plan, one plan is from the Rochester Visionary Square Corporation. They suggest a landscaped green space, lined with shopping kiosks that various businesses could rent. Another previously-submitted plan from the Seneca Indian Nation is for a combined casino and performing arts complex.
The RBTL says its plan calls for a 3,000 seat theater and will be a lynchpin for the revival of downtown. The RBTL says its Auditorium Theater is more than 90 years old and doesn’t have the seating capacity for the big Broadway shows anymore.
They believe the new theater will cost about $85 million, and they plan to launch a $10 million endowment campaign to help fund operations should the theater not end up running at a surplus.