By Jennifer Tebo
Residents of Buffalo’s Richmond Avenue neighborhood met on Saturday, Nov. 11, with board and staff members of Alleyway Theatre Inc. in downtown Buffalo to develop new strategies for securing the balance of funding necessary to complete the $1.5 million Upper West Arts Centerproject, which will transform a former church building into a multi-use arts facility at Richmond Avenue and West Ferry Street.
Prospects for funding were identified after the group toured the facility on Saturday, said Neal Radice, executive director of Alleyway. A plan of action was adopted, which will include aspects directed by theatre staff, as well as neighborhood volunteers; In particular the ad-hoc committee will be focusing on soliciting donations from the Western New York business community and seeking Federal funding, he said.
“This new sign of enthusiasm for the project is yet another indication that the facility is well situated to fulfill its goal of serving both its immediate neighborhood and the entire region,” Radice said.
Alleyway purchased the former Richmond Avenue Methodist Church building in October 1998, for $75,000, said Joyce Stilson, director of public relations.
“With every building that was seen during that time new information was gathered, new questions and challenges arose so that by the time the building at Richmond Avenue and West Ferry Street was examined we knew the right questions to ask and we got all the right answers. It was a long time of prep, but a terrific learning curve,” Stilson said.
Stilson said highlights of the center will include the talents of Western New York artists and arts organizations, educational programming for children and adults, promoting neighborhood stabilization and serving the regional goals of cultural tourism and economic development.
Other features:
Radice saidthe theatre has invested nearly $1 million and needs to accomplish an additional $500,000 in improvements before it will open.
“The center will not be in use until the final renovations are finished,” Radice said. “The remaining work should only take about six months, and the time table is dependant on raising the necessary funds.”
Funding sources to date include:
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The Margaret L. Wendt Foundation: $175,000
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The Elster Foundation: $10,000
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The Erwin H. Johnson Memorial Fund, Inc.: $2,000
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Alleyway Theatre Inc. board of directors fund-raiser: $10,000
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County of Erie Public Benefit Grant: $35,000
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New York State Council on the Arts Technical Support Award: $5,000
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New York State Cultural Facilities Enhancement Fund: $60,000
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Gifts to “Save The Organ” campaign and other private giving: $55,000
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New York State strategic investment program: $250,000
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New York State council on the Arts Capital Program:$100,000
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M&T bank: $50,000
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Erie County Legislative Grant: $50,000
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Of Operating Funds: $70,000
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In-Kind services and materials: $80,000
Radice said a large number of theatre, dance, music and visual arts organizations, and individual artists including the Burchfield-Penney Art Center, expressed interest in the future use of the center.
Others included are:
Brenda Gorney, 28, a Buffalo State College student and resident on Richmond Avenue, said this is a great opportunity for Western New Yorkers to get involved and give back to the community.
“Instead of abandoning a beautifully historic building our community can make it into a great arts center and get some actual use out of the building. That’s an improvement from the number of abandoned buildings that I see everyday on the West Side of Buffalo,” she said.
Jennifer Tebo can be reached at teboj27@verizon.net
Pictures courtesy of Alleyway Theatre: http://alleyway.com/
Links: http://alleyway.com/, http://alleyway.com/upperwest/
Jennifer Tebo:
Picture captions to read:
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 Pipe Organ of the Upper West Arts Center. Picture Courtesy of Alleyway Theatre
 Looking across the 600 seat concert hall of the Upper West Arts Center. Picture Courtesy of Alleyway Theatre
 North Balcony of the Upper West Arts Center. Picture Courtesy of Alleyway Theatre
 Upper West Arts Center. Picture Courtesy of Alleyway Theatre
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