Rick Kinney wants to turn the Clyde Theater and the Quimby Village shopping center into Fort Wayne’s premier arts and entertainment district.

He sees the former cinema on Bluffton Road southwest of downtown as a multipurpose event venue that caters to everything from rock concerts to corporate fundraisers and beyond.

"We want this to be something that will outlive everyone that is alive today," he said.

But three years after the property was sold for $500 in a tax sale, progress appears slow, though there are some signs of activity.

Until Thursday, there was a significant amount of back taxes – nearly $12,000 including fees for non-payment – owed on the property, records from the Allen County Treasurer’s Office show. Additionally, Kinney declined a 2013 $40,000 city facade grant award because he could not meet the required project deadlines. The grant required that Kinney’s company raise $40,000 in matching funds. Still, he hopes to tap into public funds to finance a large portion of the project.

All taxes owed on the property were paid Thursday. When The Journal Gazette asked Kinney about the back taxes Wednesday, Kinney said he was aware of the bill – he just hadn’t yet gotten around to paying it.

The Clyde Theater closed its doors for good in 1994 and hasn’t reopened, though there have been several attempts to renovate and repurpose the historic building in the years since. Kinney, who purchased the building in May 2012, is the latest owner to attempt to revive the crumbling landmark. He is the president of Even Keel Event Productions, the company listed as the Clyde Theater’s official owner.

"Basically what we’re doing here is what everybody talks about," Kinney said. "Everybody talks about how we need to find out how to attract and retain young talent, that we need to find out how to create urban corridors, we need to support arts and entertainment. That is exactly what we’re doing."

Kinney withdrew from the facade grant award in August 2013, stating that he did not believe he could complete the work required by the end of the year.

"Considering it’s a $5 million project and we have to have blueprints drawn up for everything we do, we felt the city was rushing us and we decided not to do it," he said.

The Clyde Theater can reapply for a new facade grant in the future.

Entering through the main doors, the Clyde Theater has all the hallmarks of an abandoned building. It’s musty, badly illuminated and dusty. A portion of the lobby ceiling has been removed – part of an asbestos remediation project, Kinney said – exposing duct work and metal framing. Every word uttered echoes throughout the main hall.

Though it may appear that very little work has been done, Kinney said Even Keel Event Productions has actually invested quite a bit of capital into the renovations. Fort Wayne architectural firm MSKTD & Associates is currently working on drafting the design plans for the renovation. Jim Kratzat, president of MSKTD & Associates, said the firm has been involved with the Clyde Theater project since Kinney purchased the property three years ago. Kratzat said at that time the firm helped Kinney apply for grants to put toward the project.

"Whatever he asked for throughout his journey, we were there to assist him," he said. "We have laid out what the final product would be now and about two weeks ago he set us loose and said it’s time to do the actual design and construction documents and get ready for construction."

Kratzat added that the firm is starting work on "the actual in-depth architectural, mechanical, and structural designs of the whole project." That work should be complete and ready to send to contractors this fall, he said.

"It’s a pretty exciting project – it’s a great thing for that center," Kratzat said. "It’s a great boost for that whole area."

Kinney said his company spent about $30,000 to settle debts associated with the theater’s 6.1-acre parking lot, which had fallen into disrepair because the Quimby Village Tenants’ Association wasn’t collecting dues from the vacant venue. Repaving the parking lot is part of Kinney’s plan for the theater.

Kinney said his company invested about $200,000 to make the building once again suitable for humans. That money went toward asbestos remediation, removal of pests like rodents and pigeons from the building, installation of a security system and making sure the facility’s doors and windows are secure, he said.

The company will also be investing an additional $200,000 toward exterior renovations moving forward, he said. The entire project is expected to cost about $5 million. Kinney declined to comment on a definitive project timeline until the design plans are completed.

Kinney said his company is investing $3 million of the total project cost. To secure funding for the other $2 million, he hopes to be able to turn to public options. The group Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana has decided to make the Clyde Theater and Quimby Village renovations one focal point of its upcoming My Cities Summit and the project is also being considered by the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership and Greater Fort Wayne Inc. as a potential Phase 1 project for the Regional Cities Initiative.

Courtney Tritch, vice president of marketing at the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, said regional proposals are due between July 1 and Aug. 31, with presentations to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation in September. Though she didn’t have an exact date, Tritch said regions will probably find out whether their proposals were chosen sometime in the fourth quarter of 2015.

If successful, northeast Indiana’s bid could bring $42 million in matching state grants to the region to fast-track projects designed to improve quality of life. Eleven counties are participating in the submission: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley.

Sam Graves, president of YLNI, said the organization’s Summit Committee, which is in charge of planning the upcoming My Cities Summit, identified the revitalization of the Quimby Village shopping center as an important project.

"The committee identified projects they felt were transformative and this was one of the large ones that was selected," he said. "They found that the revitalization (of Quimby Village) would be transformative and would impact our mission, which is to attract, develop and retain emerging leaders."

Even if the Clyde Theater project isn’t included in northeast Indiana’s Regional Cities Initiative proposal, Kinney said the renovations will still happen. It just might take longer than expected. Kinney wouldn’t comment on a prospective construction start date.

He plans to have the Theater open by summer 2016.

dgong@jg.net