Get A Clue (#2)

In the intrepid spirit of investigation, here is today's clue:

Clue #2: Multiple sources close to Towson University report that the concern about finances that TU cited when they withdrew their RFP is a cover. The University had the money, and the BDC reportedly has the financial commitment papers to prove it. Can anyone confirm this?

Having seen the RFP proposals, I will note that it seems to me unlikely that anyone would put so much work into such a stunningly impressive proposal without knowing that the funds are available.

FOTS response to WTMD withdrawal from Senator RFP process

The following is the official Friends of The Senator statement that was sent out to members of the media yesterday, including the Baltimore Sun:

The Friends of The Senator (FOTS) group and historic theatre preservation organizations nationwide are aligned in their stance that the BDC’s Senator RFP process has been fundamentally flawed from its inception, and the situation must be rectified.

Baltimore Heritage, Preservation Maryland, The National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Theatre Historical Society of America, among others, have written to Mayor Rawlings-Blake, citing concern over the BDC’s failure to engage professional historic theatre redevelopment experts to play an active role in the advance planning and guidance of the Senator RFP redevelopment process.

Towson University’s withdrawal is sudden, but not entirely unexpected. With the BDC’s controversial Senator RFP process in a shambles, it’s time to heed the rising call for Baltimore City to apply proven national standards established by historic theatre redevelopment experts to determine an optimal future for Baltimore’s renowned and irreplaceable Senator Theatre.

Thomas Harris
President, FOTS

I would like to note that Chris Kaltenbach of the Sun, who was sent the whole statement, neglected to report that Friends of The Senator has been joined in our call for historic theatre redevelopment and film exhibition experts to guide the process by prestigious preservation organizations the Theatre Historical Society of America, Baltimore Heritage, Preservation Maryland, and The National Trust for Historic Preservation. When I commented on the Sun site last night to note the omission, the Sun pulled down the comment, along with all the other comments made yesterday, most of which were lamenting the loss of Towson University/WTMD's bid. Biased reporting or April Fool's joke on the Sun's part?

Kiefaber: WTMD good fit for Senator Theatre

The Baltimore Sun has a Letter to the Editor from Tom Kiefaber today. Click here to read it, and also my response.

More thoughts on proposals for The Senator

The Sun paper is asking for comments about the 4 proposals the BDC received on The Senator. I posted one, but I know from experience that the Sun seems to have an agenda with regard to The Senator, so I'm posting my comment here in its entirety:

The Senator Theatre is a significant historic landmark on the National Register, and it's clear from the way the BDC is handling this process that they don't understand its value as a piece of history and art, or its potential to generate tourism dollars. If they did, they would be consulting historic theatre experts from around the country on how best to proceed. Some version of a community based non-profit model has worked well for historic theatres all over the country. Indeed, among the theatres that have won the annual award from the League of Historic American Theatres, based here in Baltimore, all past winners take donations from the public, non-profit style.

Among the four proposals submitted:

The Lofts proposal from J R Owens is a joke. I can't believe anyone would take it seriously. I think the whole immediate neighborhood will unite against that one.

The proposal from Charles owner Cusack would butcher the historic building, dividing the auditorium and destroying the original bathrooms. Definitely a no go.

The PUPKids Theatre proposal probably doesn't have the money, since Enoch Cook III was at the pre-proposal conference asking if the city would fix the roof, because he only has the money to lease the theatre for a few months. So that won't work, unless he's since gotten financing.

The WTMD/Towson proposal shows some promise, but I would not be able to support it without seeing the full proposal, specifically their plans for restoring and caring for this precious historic facility. The mix of programming they are proposing is very similar to what The Senator is currently doing, and what Senator volunteers have been proposing all along.