The future of NBA overflow parking in our neighborhood.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge the high volume of letters I have received recently regarding the proposed demolition of the Armitage Orpheum Theater at 2500 East Stanton Avenue next month. For those of you that aren't aware, the city acquired the site through eminent domain last year for the purpose of constructing an overflow parking annex for the new Office Depot Arena being built west of Kendall Park -- the new home of the NBA's fightin'est five-man squad, our beloved hometown Voyageurs!

However, many of you have voiced your concern about our plans. For example, here is an excerpt from a letter from the Armitage Heights Historic Preservation Council:

To destroy the Orpheum would be a cataclysmic act of cultural terrorism...The Orpheum was built in 1870 using nineteen tons of upstate granite and marble, and had wood door and window fixtures imported all the way from Italy. At the the time of its construction, it seated 4,000 people and was the largest theater built west of the Mishipeshu River. Its opening night gala, a performance by the "Swedish Songbird" Jenny Lind, was attended by U.S. Vice President Schuyler Colfax and noted author Mark Twain. When Oscar Wilde spoke there in 1889, he remarked that it was the "loveliest theater in the Republic."

Here is an early photograph of the Orpheum from its opening season:



OK. Point taken.

But let's just be reasonable here. Let's look at the facts.

The fact is, I value the historic properties in our neighborhood as much as anyone -- heck, my house in the Wihinapa neighborhood was built around 1870, too! But there are some things that letter doesn't mention. The Orpheum is in dismal shape, a complete state of disrepair, and hasn't been a legitimate theater since 1971. It was an adult theater throughout the '70s and '80s, and with the exception of a troupe of transgendered performance artists that used it as a venue for their frankly distasteful urine-themed spectacles in 1992 and '94, it has not been occupied since then. And with our Voyageurs being perennial contenders for the NBA Mid-Central Conference championship three years running, they need the right space to shine in! Their fans, then, need to the right space to park in, should the main parking ramp be full.

Fortunately, we have arrived at a decision that I think will satisfy fans of NBA basketball in the city, and will also honor the history of the site. The city has hired the architecture firm Rice, Daniels + Carmichael to create the new overflow parking annex. RD+C are award-winning architects that have designed some of the most critically-acclaimed parking structures in the country, from the 3rd Street Municipal Parking Ramp in downtown Seattle to the 3rd Street Municipal Parking Ramp (no relation) in Philadelphia. Their plan is to integrate some of the old features of the Orpheum into the new structure:




Furthermore, the old building's heritage will be honored with parking levels named for the various luminaries that brightened the stage over the years, from the Adele and Fred Astaire Blue Level Ramp all the way to the Zeppo Marx Green Level Ramp. The structure itself, in fact, will be designated the Historic Armitage Heights Orpehum Municipal Overflow Parking Annex, and a historic marker will be placed right on Stanton Avenue for all to read. The grandeur and history of this overflow parking annex may threaten to even overshadow the main parking ramp itself!

But in all seriousness, let me just say that when we work together as a community, these are the kinds of positive results we can get. That's why ours is one of the most progressive, livable cities in the country, and to paraphrase Mr. Wilde, why Armitage Heights is the loveliest neigborhood in the city!

Best,
Sherman