New grant for the Arcadia Project puts old Dixie Theatre on the path to reopen

Laura Peters | The News Leader

STAUNTON – The former Dixie Theatre in downtown Staunton is one step closer to reopening thanks to a Virginia Main Street grant.

Formerly the Staunton Performing Arts Center, the group has now been taken over by a new nonprofit organization called the Arcadia Project. Founders Thomas and Pamela Wagner started poking around the community about the potential of the project a couple years ago. They want to bring an all-inclusive community cultural center featuring a theater, events, media studios, class and more.

The new nonprofit bought the former Dixie building on East Beverley Street, which included the Arcadia building directly next to it.

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Now, it's getting more funding. It was recently awarded $25,000 thanks to a Virginia Main Street Feasibility Study grant.

The grant is funded by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development and administered by the Staunton Downtown Development Association, a release said.

The grant money will pay for the following, according to the release:

A market study conducted by the Richmond firm Summit Design & Engineering Services

A structural engineering report by the local firm Schnitzhofer and Associates

An architectural services by local architect Marc Paxton

Research about the viability of an Industrial Revitalization Fund application to be conducted by Michael Barnes of Charlottesville

About the Wagners and the new vision

In 2016, the Wagners started conversations with the Staunton Performing Arts Center and took tours of the two buildings. The Staunton Performing Arts Center was the nonprofit that was trying to get the two buildings up and running as an arts center prior to the Wagners.

The two had been looking for their next act after owning their own documentary film production company, Turtle Rock Productions, Inc., in New York City for over three decades.

After conversations with the Staunton Performing Arts Center, the Wagners wrote a survey and distributed under the hashtag #CREATEStaunton to 250 people. Since then the hashtag spun into a Facebook group with just more than 400 members.

That's when they saw the project could have some momentum.

Before the Wagners could move forward, $349,000 was still owed to Union Bank (now Atlantic Union Bank). The bank forgave $279,000 of the debt and the nonprofit raised $70,000. That money was raised by 38 members of the community with donations ranging between $50 to $10,000 a person.

The Arcadia Project closed on the building in July.

The project is hoping to receive several grants to fund the potentially $4.2 million renovations.

The goal to transform the two adjacent historic buildings — the former Dixie Theatre and the Arcadia building. The buildings will feature theaters, event spaces, media studios, classes, workshops, cultural programs and more.

Their mission: “To connect people through culture and creativity. Bring who you are.”

Renovations for the theater space has been broken into three phases:

Phase 1: The lobby and bathrooms of the Dixie — up to $350,000

They want to spruce up the inside area, which would include a new lobby and bathroom area (one ADA-accessible). The same footprint will remain in place, just a more open and bright space, with HVAC work, plumbing repairs and environmental remediation.

Phase 2: The two downstairs theaters in the Dixie — up to $800,000

One theater will remain the same set-up with a projector and seating but will be updated. The other theater would have the slated theater floor leveled for an event space.

Phase 3: The Arcadia building — up to $3 million

Renovate the first two floors and leave the second floor’s ceiling open, not adding an additional third and fourth floor, to create more of a large loft events area.

Each dollar amount is subject to change depending on the grant funding and they are planning for both contingencies, Thomas Wagner said. If the grants go in their favor, the first phase of the project could be open by the end of 2020. They are also looking for private donations to help with fundraising efforts.

The nonprofit and volunteers have been cleaning up the buildings, but they haven't been able to hold any programs there. The two buildings are insured as vacant buildings, so cleaning up is what they can do for now until major rehabilitation happens.

Volunteers have logged hundreds of hours cleaning the lobbies of the two buildings, installing window displays, maintaining social media accounts, building a customer relations management database, writing grant proposals and other tasks, the release said.

Local businesses have contributed more than $15,000 of in-kind donations for items including: logo design services donated by Queen City Creative; 3D renderings donated by Alex Rodriguez; business consulting services donated by Sara Levinson of the Small Business Development Center in Harrisonburg; and website development partially donated by BizLab at James Madison University, the release said.

The Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge has supported the project for several years providing fiscal sponsorship, temporary website hosting and other non-profit consulting services, along with the Center for Nonprofit Excellence in Charlottesville, the release said.

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You can reach reporter Laura Peters at lpeters@newsleader.com. Follow her @peterslaura.