Letter to Mayor from Karen Noonan, President of Theatre Historical Society of America

Karen Colizzi Noonan, president of the Theatre Historical Society of America, has written a letter to Mayor Rawlings-Blake, joining Friends of The Senator in calling for historic theatre preservation and redevelopment experts to be brought into the Senator RFP selection process. Her letter is quoted below:

Honorable Stephanie Rawlings-Blake
Mayor, City of Baltimore
100 N. Holliday Street Room 250
Baltimore, Maryland 21202

Dear Mayor Rawlings-Blake:

As President of Theatre Historical Society of America, I write to you today to convey my unconditional support for the careful and considered reuse of the Senator Theatre, one of America’s most recognizable historic theaters.

Further, I implore you as a matter of responsible stewardship, to include an experienced, knowledgeable historic preservation expert with specific expertise in theater preservation, on the BDC panel charged with deciding the Senator’s future.

The BDC has already reached out to the League of Historic American Theaters, located in Baltimore, to supply written input. It is imperative that such an expert physically sits on the commission and has the opportunity to give on-going guidance and consultation as part of the deliberations.

The Senator’s storied façade is revered nationally and internationally as an icon of Art Deco design in general and theater architectural history specifically. The Senator’s inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places demands that those responsible for its care take every step within their power to protect the integrity, viability and historic nature of the structure.

Your administration has a small window of opportunity to create a safe environment for the Senator’s to flourish in the decades to come. The eyes of the Preservation Community are on Baltimore as this historic decision is made. Please feel free to call on Theatre Historical Society or me for assistance at any time.

Respectfully,

Karen Colizzi Noonan
President, Theatre Historical Society of America

Take Action: Send a letter to the Mayor

Please join Friends of The Senator's campaign to ask Mayor Rawlings-Blake to intervene in the Senator RFP selection process, and require the BDC to open up the process and allow objective, bona fide historic theatre redevelopment consultants and film industry experts to weigh in on the Senator RFPs.

The Senator is a significant national landmark on the National Register of Historic Places. This decision is too important to be made by people who do not understand the issues involved. There is nothing wrong with consulting people who have experience in the field.

Please send the letter yourself, and then forward the link far and wide:

http://www.senatorletter.com
http://citizenspeak.org/node/1924