Further Thoughts on The Senator's Conversion (Pun Intended)

Well, now that it seems Baltimore City officials have placed The Senator firmly on the track toward becoming an evangelical mega-church, how are they trying to undo the damage? By promising retribution after the fact.

The BDC's Kim Clark and 4th District Councilman Bill Henry recently threatened to control the situation by taking away The Senator's parking.

But she and Henry noted a deterrent to a congregation could be an existing agreement that allows for use of the parking lot across the street from the Senator only if the property remains in use as a theater.

Oh yeah. That's going to work real well (NOT!) --- let a church buy The Senator at auction and then try to take away their parking. This kind of meddling in a property owner's affairs may have worked to some extent to harass current Senator owner Tom Kiefaber, but do these city politicians really want to take on a whole congregation of churchgoers? Talk about a political landmine!

And what happens when the pastor realizes he can probably sue Baltimore City over constitutional issues related to church/state separation and remove ANY controls they try to put on use of The Senator, including the city's recent interior landmark designation?

But at least Bill Henry gave some insight into the city's thinking on this issue when, at a recent public meeting, he indicated the way they'd take away The Senator's parking is by making a deal with the owner of the Staples parking lot (currently also The Senator's parking lot), developer David Cordish, who Henry indicated has already agreed to go along with that.

On a separate, but related note, Bill Henry seems not to have gotten the message that Kim Clark, Joan Pratt and others agreed to at the May 20th meeting at The Senator --- the message about how it would be good for taxpayers if The Senator is sold at auction so the city can get its recent investment back (and its only investment in The Senator for the past 10 years).

If the goal is to get the city's investment back, why is Bill Henry trying to scare bidders away from the auction by pulling big numbers out of thin air and passing them off as estimates for the cost of renovations and upgrades on The Senator? This $500K number has no basis in reality, that I'm aware of. I'm sure it would be possible to spend that much over time, especially if doing a full restoration, but the cost to continue to run the theatre under new ownership would be nowhere near that. (I am speaking here as a volunteer who has been in the theatre for several hours almost every day for the past two months. Trust me, I have a good feel for the condition of the building.)

It's time for Baltimore City officials to recognize that the way to save the day in this situation is to come to the table with community leaders, the public, Senator owner Tom Kiefaber, and other interested parties, as they were requested to do back in January, and figure out how The Senator can transition into a non-profit multipurpose entertainment venue, and NOT a religious non-profit! Now, it's entirely possible that they planned to get around to that under the city's RFP process, but they made one miscalculation: they assumed nobody would buy The Senator at auction for over $1 Million. Now that it's clear that The Senator's national and international brand is worth a lot more than they bargained for, and that there are several probable bidders, time to rethink the game plan and do the right thing for The Senator while it's still possible.

Baltimore: A City of Theatres

THIS is why we don't want Baltimore City to end up owning The Senator Theatre.

Baltimore: A City of Theatres v2.1 from Friends of The Senator Theatre on Vimeo.

Video created by a group of "historic theatre nuts" and Senator Theatre Volunteers. Thanks, Tom H and Amy!

The Senator Theatre goes to auction July 21, 2009

It will take about $1 million to buy this wonderful, unique historic theatre with a national and international reputation at the city's foreclosure auction, as reported in the Baltimore Sun.

July 21, 2009. If you love historic theatres and want to take good care of our beloved Senator, be there.

Senator Theatre Forced To Close

Unfortunately, this is not Photoshop, folks. This is the marquee of The Senator Theatre as it was being changed last night.



Now, as discouraging as this is, it's not the end. We can demand a better future for The Senator, but there's an important meeting tonight at 7 PM at The Senator that everyone concerned should go to. Here's a press release from The Senator today:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Senator Theatre Forced to Close, Rotunda to Follow
Public to Converge for Town Hall Meeting

Baltimore, MD, March 15, 2009 – Senator Theatre management has announced that the screening of “Watchmen” on Sunday evening, March 15th, was the final first-run film to be shown at the renowned theatre in its 70 year history. The Senator’s first film attraction on October 5, 1939 was “Stanley and Livingstone”.

The exact date for ceasing first-run film exhibition at the Rotunda Cinematheque is not yet determined, but that announcement is likely within the week.

“This was a very difficult decision made after a great deal of soul-searching and deliberation with our key management staff, and my family. The economic realities are such that the show simply cannot go on at The Senator,” said owner Tom Kiefaber. “The rising expressions of support from the extended community and beyond for The Senator and its future are encouraging, however, the revenue from first-run films in this economy has regrettably made it impossible for me to meet payroll for our loyal staff beyond this point.”

A town hall meeting will be held at The Senator on Monday, March 16th at 7:00 PM. Doors open at 6:15PM.

The newly-formed Senator Community Trust has called the Town Meeting and invited Mayor Dixon and other city and state officials, members of Baltimore City’s Senator Steering Committee and all other interested parties. The purpose of the Town Meeting is to seek public input and clarify the situation regarding The Senator’s precarious and uncertain future. All concerned are encouraged to attend this pivotal public forum.

Theatre management plans to screen a variety of classic and cult films and concert videos to commemorate the end of an era at The Senator.

A schedule of special events will be announced on www.senator.com.

Contact: Tom Kiefaber
info@senator.com
410.435.3583

Baltimore's Senator Theatre to Close

This press release just showed up on PR Newswire. Sad day. Please note the time change for the upcoming town hall at The Senator, which will now be held on Monday, March 16th at 7:00 PM.

Baltimore's Senator Theatre to Close


HISTORIC LANDMARK HEADED TO AUCTION AND UNCERTAIN FUTURE

BALTIMORE, March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The historic Senator Theatre has been pursuing a transition to community-based ownership, but debt and operational deficits are threatening to derail the plan. The theatre's mortgage is in default and analysis of current cash flow indicates that closure and an auction sale are imminent.


"We just received notice that accelerated foreclosure is proceeding, said Senator owner Tom Kiefaber. "It's alarming to be in such a precarious position at this critical point when so many people who appreciate The Senator want it to remain in operation through this transition to a community-owned resource."


Results from recent round table discussions, online forums and town meetings demonstrated strong support among Baltimore's business and residential communities for the theatre to remain open as ownership transitions from Kiefaber to a new non-profit, community owned entity. Historic theatres nationwide have undergone non-profit conversion to expand educational and entertainment programming and ensure their preservation.


In response to Kiefaber's advocacy of community ownership of The Senator, leaders from across Baltimore recently formed The Senator Community Trust. The non-profit entity plans to commence raising funds to purchase the theatre in its mission "to preserve, protect and restore Baltimore's cherished landmark, the historic Senator Theatre."


A town hall meeting will be held at The Senator on Monday, March 16th at 7pm.


Kiefaber has agreed to a request from The Senator Community Trust to make the theatre available for the town meeting as an open forum to provide the public with the facts and discuss how this situation is likely to affect The Senator and the extended community. The Trust has invited city and state officials and members of the city's ad hoc Senator Steering Committee. All concerned are welcome and encouraged to attend.


A recent public offer by Mayor Dixon's office to Kiefaber is intended to reduce the theatre's debt and facilitate The Senator's conversion to non-profit ownership as a proviso of the deal. "I have notified the city of my acceptance of their offer, but the details are yet to be resolved. It's an involved process that's being pressured by the foreclosure timeline," Kiefaber said.


Sean Brescia of Clearpath Management, who has been working to demonstrate the viability of multi-purpose uses for the theatre and helping coordinate efforts among the various parties, said, "These scenarios take time to develop properly and no one, including the city, is going to have the chance to identify the most viable opportunities ahead if the outcome is forced by foreclosure."


There has been much public speculation regarding the city's offer to Kiefaber, which is conditioned on the city's determination that a non-profit Senator Theatre is sustainable. In an apparent contradiction of the stated terms of the offer, that pivotal decision may have been made already.


According to a member of the city's Senator Theatre steering committee, "We have looked at many examples for a nonprofit and not one of them exists without considerable subsidy. That is not possible in today's environment." In reference to the newly formed Senator Community Trust, the representative added, "If the Trust wishes an active role, they should begin raising the several hundred thousand [dollars] required to bid at auction. There are likely to be excellent and well-financed bidders there and it's my guess that is likely to be where we are in a few short weeks."


"I don't presume to speak to the city's intentions," Brescia added, "They need to speak for themselves. There seems to be a lot of confusion about their perspective and the participation of city officials at Monday's town meeting would greatly benefit public understanding of the situation. In any case, the theatre is headed rapidly to auction. It's now up to people to make their voices heard and ask the city to follow through on their offer if the community wants to have any say in the Senator's uncertain future."


Contact:
Clearpath Management Senator Management
866.944.4409 x1 410.435.3583
info@clearpathmanagement.com info@senator.com





SOURCE Clearpath Management

The Senator Sessions

The weekend of concerts at the Senator Theatre on February 13, 14th, and 15th appears to be shaping up nicely. In a February 2 press release, Sean Brescia of Manifesto Promotions, the promoter organizing the concert weekend, is quoted:

"We set out to demonstrate some new uses and audiences for this historic landmark. People have known about the Senator's ongoing financial troubles for some time now, but this is about the community stepping up to show the city, and even a national audience, that the Senator and irreplaceable arts and entertainment assets like it around the country are worthy of public and private support to preserve and transition them to new uses for the future."

Organizers are continuing to add to the bill, but the press release currently describes the several separate events as follows:

THE SENATOR SESSIONS - A New Generation of Entertainment for a Baltimore Landmark


FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13


Save the Senator: A Baltimore Revue

Music and the Arts Converge for a Cause

Live at the Senator Theatre

Doors 8PM


From historic movie house to entertainment showplace - The Payola Reserve, Wye Oak, US Royalty, the John Hardy Boys, and local radio legends Rob Timm and Alex Cortright (WRNR) have teamed up to help save the historic Senator Theatre. Join them and more for an evening of live music, film and performances and help preserve and transform this Baltimore landmark into a premier live entertainment venue. Proceeds benefit the Senator Theatre's operations and preservation efforts. Tickets available now at www.MissionTix.com.

Show Details


SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14


Acoustic Love Songs and Other Comedies

2-7PM


Featuring: a Song Circle of Baltimore Songwriters John Seay, Sahffi and Paul Iwancio; the Ellen Cherry Trio; the Ken Kolodner Duo; the Ily Aimy duo; Smooth Kentucky; and the Swing States Road Show.


SUNDAY BRUNCH, FEBRUARY 15


Left Bank Jazz Revisited


A tribute to Baltimore's Left Bank Jazz Society of the 60's and 70's, featuring guitarist Michael Raitzyk, Ebony & Irony (a duet of vocalist Joyce Scott and pianist Lorraine L. Whittlesey), and the Craig Alston Ensemble (saxophonist Craig Alston, pianist Todd Simon and friends).


SUNDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 15


The Psychedelic, Post-VD Massacre Cleanup/Benefit

7PM-12AM


Come see the already mind-bending critically acclaimed TELESMA, playing in front of trippy, 30 foot high digital projections in the Senator's beautiful theater IN 6.1 SURROUND SOUND! The evening will feature a community drum circle, and local jam bands Adrian Bond and Telesma.

This is sounding like an amazing weekend!