FLINT, MI - Work on the Capitol Theatre could start in the next two months and people could be watching live performances inside the downtown venue by next summer.

Flint City Council paved the way for the reconstruction project to begin when it approved the transfer of a tax freeze on the building earlier this week.

Jarret M. Haynes, executive director at the Whiting, said there is a little bit more than a month of due diligence work, then they'll close on the property and start restoration work on the 90-year-old building.

Uptown Reinvestment Corp. will partner with The Whiting and its governing body, the Flint Cultural Center Corp. to relaunch the Capitol Theatre. Both non-profits, Uptown will handle the redevelopment and restoration, while The Whiting will manage operations, programming and marketing.

The project is expected to cost $21 million to redevelop and reopen the landmark building.

"We're thrilled that this week went the way it did," Haynes said. "We're proud of the fact that both the council and the mayor are supportive of the project. We look forward to getting off the ground and starting the work."

Haynes said it will take 12-14 months for the restoration. Shows will be booked in the facility as early as summer 2017, and a grand reopening should be slated for that fall, he said.

The theater will seat about 1,600, Haynes said.

Built in Italian Renaissance style, one ceiling was designed after the outer vestibule of St. Peter's cathedral in Rome, according to Flint Journal files, and interior walls recreate views of buildings that evoke old Italy.

The building also hosted a mishmash of live concert performances, including AC/DC, Ray Charles, John Mellencamp and Mel Tillis from the late 1970s until the theater portion of the building closed about 20 years ago.

The renovation plans include 25,000 square feet of attached office and retail space

"We want to bring back all of the elements of the theater that made it what it was, at the same time we want to operate the theater in 2017 - we certainly want a modern sound system, lighting system, rigging system," Haynes said. "We want to be respectful of the what the original sound was and it also works well for live performances and that's what we intend to do there."

The tax freeze was first approved in 2013 when the city was under the control of a state-appointed financial manager, but the theater was sold to a non-profit group and officials said developers needed the tax freeze transferred for the project to move forward.

The transfer will keep the tax freeze intact for eight more years.

Taxes were frozen at about $15,000 per year when the original certificate was approved in 2013. The value of vacant commercial properties typically increase after undergoing a remodeling project.

Dominic Adams is a reporter for The Flint Journal. Contact him at dadams5@mlive.com or 810-241-8803. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.