A Highland Square Celebration

It was a grand day to spend in and around Highland Square today. Don't let those dark clouds rolling over the brand new branch library's tower fool you, on this day the community came together to celebrate its unique character and its diverse population.

Art on the Square showcases the many fine talents that live in this neighborhood. Many of Akron's outstanding writers, musicians, visual artists, architects, photographers, film-makers, dancers and theatre artists live there. It is a community so unlike many of our city's neighborhoods, in that you see so many people out and about, walking here and there, waving and nodding to each other as they pass. If only Kenmore Blvd could regain that kind of vibe. Maybe when our new branch library becomes a reality, we'll have a chance.

Here's a photo of the Mayor speaking at the grand opening of the new branch library. There was a ribbon cutting ceremony and many of our local public servants were on hand to say a few words. Each person struck the same theme: how this project could not have been accomplished without the cooperation and collaboration of the library, the city and county governments, and the Albrecht family who have donated land for a reading garden. Afterwards, the crowd flowed into the brand new space, for ice cream and folk music, as well as to check out armfuls of books and videos.

Highland Square is a project not yet finished, with a gaping wound where the essential component for neighborhood sustainability should be -- there is no grocery store. I have been told by a resident that some of the senior citizens in Highland Square are buying their groceries at Walgreen's. Do we really think it is a good thing for our eldest citizens to exist on highly processed food on sale at a local drugstore?

There are some other problem spots on West Market St in Highland Square. The demise of the always popular Dodie's was not due to lack of neighborhood support, but rather bad management. The empty new store fronts on the other side of the street next to the new Chipotle need to find new tenants. Are they empty because of neighborhood turmoil or general economic malaise?

And then there is the fate of the Highland Theatre. I admit that at first I was skeptical about the value of saving this old neighborhood movie house. And then I listened to the the folks who are working to save it and thought their ideas were very creative and that the old theatre could indeed provide a valuable space for local artists and citizens. Akron only need look over at Kent to find a positive re-use of an old neighborhood movie theatre. Transformed into The Kent Stage, it is now home to the finest in acoustic music as well as home of the New World Children's Theatre, sponsored by Kent's Standing Rock Cultural Center.

Akron has done a great job in supporting the training and development of young artists, with its Lock 3 program every summer. The Highland Theatre could be a space where practicing artists of all types share their work and their knowledge with the up and coming generations. It could provide the community with a space that can host independent films as well as family movies and much more.

A Highland Square citizen told me that when plans for the new community learning center were on display for the public, the city wanted to tear down the theatre for parking and in return, the community could use the school's cafetorium because they'd have a projector installed there.

Cafetoriums started sprouting up all over Ohio during the Republican era of spend-the-least-money-possible on children and their schools. They are abominations that seem to be a clever consolidation of space usage. Sometimes, the "stage" is simply a large rectangular gap between a gym on one side and a cafeteria on the other. Sometimes it is one space used for all three purposes. Inevitably, your child's voice will not be heard on such a stage with its vast echoing volume-sucking space in which the audience must uncomfortably sit on folding chairs.

Cafetoriums may have fixed lighting that cannot be used for theatrical purposes, so expensive lighting instruments must be purchased. One techie told me that the grease from all those school lunches is drawn up and coats the lighting instruments. Doesn't sound good for the lights or the kids' nutritional needs being met!

For the residents of Highland Square, a cafetorium is not what they want or need. The Highland has a liquor license, and a community learning center does not. Adult works of art may not be always appropriate for a "learning center." The Highland Square Neighborhood Association is an active, thriving group of people who work hard to make their neighborhood a model urban community. I admire their efforts and envy their achievements.

It pains me to see the conflict between them and the city's administration. I hope both sides listened to the words spoken today at the library and renew their commitment to work together to solve the tough problems. I don't know if the legal threats and efforts to promote a maverick Democrat for mayor are the wisest choices of tactics. More visibility of the real problems caused by no grocery store is a better one. Getting the senior citizens out on the sidewalk with signs was an excellent tactic. It reminds the public that every delay affects the most needy of the neighborhood's residents.

Meanwhile the mayor and council -- please think about what makes urban life special and unique and keeps us city dwellers here rather than heading out to the suburbs. The commitment to neighborhood as exemplified by the folks in Highland Square is something I hope proves infectious and spreads out to all the wards in the city.

More on The Save the Highland Theatre campaign

Here's an email just received on the latest status of The Highland Theatre:

Hello All,

It's been awhile since I've reported the status of the theater. Tim Kelley, Anthony Sterns and myself just returned from a two day seminar, in Play House Square. The League of Historic American Theatres presented the seminar Restoration to Operation: Leading a Historic Theatre’s Successful Transition We learned so much and are excited to share with you how and why this project will be successful. But, first let me get you up to speed.

We have accomplished a great deal. We have applied for our 501(c) (3) non-profit status, and have obtained our Employer Identification Number. We are in the process of finalizing a board of trustees and the bylaws for the corporation, and have been consulting with Lauren Pinney Burge, AIA (Historic Preservation Specialist, Architect), a principal of Chambers, Murphy & Burge Restoration Architects, Ltd. and Colleen Poehlman from the League of Historic American Theatres.

We have throughly researched the issues that have hindered urban neighborhood theaters’ commercial success. Urban flight has left city neighborhoods with a population possessing a lower disposable income, rising crime rates, and a lack of parking, while the “megaplexes” in the suburbs have kept patrons from coming to the classic movie theaters. However, the film distribution system has been the leading cause of the urban neighborhood theaters’ failure to compete. This scenario has led to the destruction of thousands of historic landmarks across the country. However, our research has found older theaters that have turned this trend around. We have contacted the owners and proprietors of these theaters to learn how they have been able to remain open and profitable. The answer is that nearly all of these theaters operate under a “community center” business model using their theaters for a wide variety of events and programming. This model has also enabled the theaters’ restoration, as it makes them eligible for funding from a variety of sources, and after restoration the theaters have attracted significantly more patrons. This “community center” business model has proven to be the savior of many historic theaters.

We have adopted this business model for a variety of reasons, not the least of which are eligibility for restoration funding and the security of a proven track record, and we feel confident that it holds the key to the future of the Highland Theater’s success. In addition, we have working with a national provider of digital cinema systems (the digital systems cost less than traditional film distribution), as well as a company that specializes in alternative energy systems which are so efficient the heating and cooling costs would be minimal. In the short term, we have a parking agreement with Oriana house and are currently working with the other businesses in Highland Square to produce a parking map. In the long term, we are investigating grants and low/no interest loans to help pay for a parking structure underneath the Portage Path School playground. The Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission also has programs available for parking.

Most recently, we have been finishing the business plan, the next step is to find a tax attorney and an accountant to help finalize the proposal. We feel certain that the Highland Theater can be both profitable in financial terms as well as socially and culturally invaluable in what it can offer to the men, women, and children of the community.

I know this is short notice, we've been so busy we haven't been able to catch up until now. We're planning a fund raiser and need your help. The Highland Square Theater Corporation would be honored if you were to be our guest at the Highland Square Reunion, An evening of sharing stories of our past with our hopes for the future. We'll invite the public to come for a wine and cheese reception to meet the Highland Square Alumni for in an informal family atmosphere. April 28, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. American Legion 783 W Market St. Akron, OH 44303. Space is limited so please Please RSVP to Lisa Bostwick via email lbostwick@neo.rr.com A $25.00 donation is suggested. You can also donate on line at www.savethehighland.com

Sincerely Yours,

Lisa Bostwick

Monday Mashup

Bits and pieces of things I've been meaning to comment upon:

Countywide Landfill in Stark Co, home to half of our county's trash, ran "afoul" of the Ohio EPA, who recommended that the landfill's operating license not be newed until the company deals with what is going on under the layers of smoldering metals and plastics. The latest details from Bob Downing at the ABJ are here. Whether the recommendation will be carried out or not is yet to be seen. Truth is, the solid waste management business has a lot of power over us. We make too much trash which would pile up around us very quickly if the landfill is suddenly closed.

Speaking of recycle and reuse -- there is a meeting of the Save the Highland Theatre group tomorrow, Tuesday Feb 27 at 7 pm in the basement of Grace United Church, W Exchange and Portage Path. More details at the Highland Square Neighborhood Association web site.

Hair at Kent State University. Unfortunately, the last performance was Sunday, so all I can really say is -- too bad you missed it! It was a time trip back to those trippy days of yore. And of course, The War. Seems like there is always a war that involves sacrificing young men (and now in the latest one, young women as well) by sending them across the planet to kill or be killed. The Powers-That-Be certainly learned their lesson from Nam. In this war, they made sure not to have a draft. Drafts only rile people up. No, the current war operates on constant recycling of career soldiers, siphoning of national guards away from their more benign duties stateside, and paid mercenaries. Well we are almost at Three Five Zero Zero once again.

Save the Highland Theatre campaign kicks off

A good size crowd of citizens met in the basement of Grace United Church this evening to make plans to save the venerable old movie house.

The meeting got off to a stellar start with the first ever public showing of 8 mm film shot by the wife of construction firm owner that built the Highland Theatre in 1937. The camera follows the building crew as they slither up and down beams and ropes. No hard hats and safety ropes to be seen. There were guys heating up rivets in big cans on the ground, slinging the hot rivets up to the guys on the beams. In the distance, tantazling shots of Highland Square homes and streets, a window back through time.

Three grandsons of the firm's founder were at the meeting: Nelson, Dick and Blaine Wallace. They gave very stirring speeches about how much the theatre meant to them. They told us their family had always lived in Highland Square since moving to Akron.

Members of the Highland Square Neighborhood Association facilitated the meeting. They are proposing a community arts center. They are looking for a private purchaser who would lease it to a non-profit organzation with a board made up of community members. Grants and targeted reliable programming: films, concerts, theatre productions (that would work on a basic platform stage), town hall meetings, charity events, private parties, seminars, and lecture hall. Local visual art could be on constant display in the lobby -- an artist co-op.

They've talked to the Cedar Lee in Cleveland and to arts organizations all over the city -- looking for ideas to make it a success. And have located two individuals interested in investing in the building.

Ron Higgins, Media Consultant gave us a run down on all the challenges ahead, from parking to rennovation. Parking is a huge issue and will need to be addressed, in my opinion. Long time residents seem to think that parking on streets within the immediate neighborhood of the theatre is good enough. It would be ideal if all the local businesses that close at 5 PM would go for double use. I'm not sure what double use entails? Does that mean evening parking might be paid parking in those lots? That might be a good idea, especially if the lots had attendants -- could help deter crime.

Speaking of which, an Akron detective was at the meeting to announce that a thief who's been breaking into cars in parking decks had been caught and they think this guy is one who has done a number of these smash and grabs up and down W Market St.

It was also intersting to hear the open acknowledgement of the differences in class and culture in the divide between north and south of W Market St in the square. Kids who live north of Market go to King Elementary while those living on the south side go to Portage Path Elementary.

Portage Path is another issue that impinges on all the theatre planning. It is supposed to be rebuilt on the same site. A number of people at the meeting asked if the school had to be rebuilt on that corner. Turns out the school is sitting on the very edge of its boundary line. Since the whole building has to be torn down, it would be just as easy to build on another piece of land, one more centrally located within the neighborhood it serves.

By great coincidence and amazing good fortune, a public planning session on the building of a new Portage Path Elementary School is to take place tomorrow (Wednesday) night at Portage Path School starting at 7 PM.

After all the information was shared, plenty of other Highland Squae residents spoke in support of the theatre. It was quite an electric grass roots kind of energy as many people stopped to chat in small groups and share their reactions after the meeting officially ended. An official email list was begun and if you want to join in the action to save the theatre, go to the HSNA web site to make contact and keep up with plans.

Town Meeting to Save the Highland Theatre

I had my doubts, but after attending a movie showing there this weekend, I'm leaning toward saving the theatre if possible. There's been some work put into the place over the years. It has a nice big platform stage down front and a night club/cabaret ambience at the back. It would be a nice concert venue if somebody made an effort to book some acts.

Why is it so difficult to create a sense of community? A community performing arts center is an idea that could help develop that sense of working toward and celebrating the common good. Providing a space where various community groups can meet and interact could only benefit the community. It might be the perfect place to try some Augusto Boal Forum Theatre.

I'm wondering about the financials. Will someone be writing grants? Will it go non-profit status? All communities should have something like this. Kenmore had one for a few months in an old church formerly called Benedictions, now for sale. Summit Art Space is growing into something substantial for the visual arts and theatre communities. It would be great to seee something permanent and community-positive grow out of the Highland Theatre.

If they can make a performing arts center happen, more power to them. Here is the info from the Highland Square Neighborhood Association web site:

Join the Highland Square Neighborhood Association for a

Town Hall Meeting about Saving the Highland Theater
& the possibility of a Community Performing Arts Center

Tuesday January 30 at 7 p.m.
at First Grace United Church of Christ
350 S. Portage Path

For more info, call 330-865-8422.

Should the Highland Movie Theatre Be Preserved?

The Highland Theatre is the last of two remaining neighborhood movie houses in Akron. The owner has taken out a permit to wreck the back of the building, the part that houses the movie screen, according to an article in today's ABJ.

Many comments from the online readers today, run the spectrum from full capitalist glee in bulldozing down the past to lamenting communitarians who would seek tax dollars to save it for the community.

The only problem is, the community hasn't made good use of this theatre for decades. Various managers have taken it on only to fail due to classic reasons:

1. No parking except on the streets of the neighborhood.
2. The facility cannot compete with the suburban sprawl multiplexes. 12 screens going all day long vs. one screen -- it's a losing proposition.
3. Operating costs go through the roof -- the place consumes enormous amounts of energy to heat or air condition.
4. No matter the content, the community does not support it to make it operable.

It's sad to think of Highland Square without the Highland Theatre. I saw my first movie there as a child -- Bambi. Later on, the Highland became a very pleasurable way to spend a Saturday afternoon. All for a buck, you'd get a bunch of cartoons, some old time serials and then at least two features. I saw The Blob there and all those scary movies with the kids who had big eyes.

For awhile toward the end of the 20th century, rock and roll made an attempt to find a home at the theatre. Some remodeling with a night club theme was attempted to draw in a younger, hipper crowd, but it never seemed to work.

I always wanted it to run the movies that never showed up in Akron, the ones we have to drive up to the Cedar Lee in Cleveland to see. Back in the 60s, we used to be able to go the Art Theatre in the Falls to see underground stuff. But somehow, the customers for that venue vanished as well.

Highland Square is supposed to be "hip" but in reality there aren't enough of those folks to make it a viable operation. Can it really be called a landmark worthy of preservation? Certainly the Akron Civic Theatre is unique and worthy of every penny spent on its preservation. The Highland Theatre, however, is not an architectural gem. It doesn't serve anybody's needs anymore. The building does not meet current and future standards in terms of environmentally appropriate energy use. The cost of renovating it versus building a community center that provided programming that actually meets the needs of Highland Square residents has to be considered.

I have one idea, free to anyone who wants to try one more programming attempt to save the theatre. Since parking is a problem, residents within walking distance are the ones who need to be using the theatre. Walking to the theatre suggests an interest in maintaining physical fitness. I suggest that the place is loaded with fitness equipment, machines and free weights. On screen, one can show endless movies for people to watch as they row, cycle and walk their treadmills. Call it the Highland Theatre of Fitness, sell monthly passes and you are on your way to providing a real service while making the place finiancially solvent at last!

(Photo above is Copyright 2001 Brian Reichow, brian@casabrian.com and can be found at: http://www.casabrian.com.