A Final Step in the Academy’s Journey

From its beginnings, the drive to raise money to restore the historic Academy of Music Theatre on Main Street has been a monumental effort. At every turn, it seemed, the project’s costs increased. Plans changed over time, pushing up the costs.

But perseverance has driven the project — even to the point today that supporters of the effort can see the final dollars being raised. The result will be a theater complex that will include a complete restoration of the 900-seat theater with two balconies, six box seats, and an orchestra pit that can be lowered or raised depending on the event.

Members of the Academy of Fine Arts board of trustees and others took a gigantic step in the journey toward restoring the old gem of a theater last week when they celebrated construction of the 110-foot flytower and stage house. The $3.5 million project is so tall it has altered the city skyline.

So far, the project’s early phases have cost about $16 million. That includes renovation of the Arts and Education Center and Warehouse Theater on Commerce Street; upgrades of the old Lynchburg Gas Co. building on Main Street into an administration building and art gallery and structural reinforcement to the historic theater built originally in 1905.

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That early phase also included construction of the stage house and flytower, the large open space above the stage where a system of ropes and pulleys allow technical crews to move sets on and off the stage.

But Academy officials are still looking to the future — a future that will see the fundraising committee generate the final $15 million needed to successfully complete the task. Robin Wood, chairman of the Cornerstone Campaign Committee, which is in charge of raising the money, said the final goal is to complete the campaign by next spring so work on the theater can begin. Architects estimate it will take about two years to complete that work.

Dick Kordos, the Academy’s executive director, highlighted the importance of local involvement in the campaign. “It then truly becomes a community success,” he said, adding, “It’s the community’s gift to the future. It’s the legacy they’re leaving behind.”

Wood emphasized the importance of completing the campaign now. “It’s critical that we get this done now,” he said.

And when that work is completed, Lynchburg will have a theater that is second to only a few in the nation. It will have the capacity and equipment for all kinds of the productions — theater and opera, symphonic concerts and maybe an occasional rock concert.

The finished product will have a two-story glass lobby that will sit on Sixth Street and serve as the main entrance to the theater. It will also connect the theater to the administration building.

Amanda Adams, one of several architects from the local firm CJMW involved in the renovation project, described the effect of the restored buildings on the city skyline for those approaching on the John Lynch Bridge. “This large lobby,” she said, “is just glowing like a beacon.”

That beacon has been glowing in the minds of hundreds — if not thousands of residents of Lynchburg and surrounding counties — for nearly a decade. With every successful plateau in the campaign to raise the funds, the glow becomes brighter.

The beneficiaries for years to come will be those who support and appreciate the fine arts and the important role they have played in the community and will continue to play in the grand old Academy of Music that is embarking on her second century.