Renovations on Embassy Theatre should be finished by March
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - Renovations at the Embassy Theatre and the Indiana Hotel are on schedule for the expansion to open in early March.
Kelly Updike, executive director of the Historic Embassy Theatre Foundation, said the ballroom, being built on the sixth and seventh floors of the Indiana Hotel, has already been booked for every Saturday next spring and summer of 2016 and is now being booked into 2017. Updike said the foundation is just shy of $8 million in its $10 million capital campaign and should reach the full amount by the end of 2016.
Work in the ballroom currently is in the finishing stages, with about half the painting completed. Work continues on the ceiling and wall finishes. A second elevator has been installed that will carry guests to the roof. The rooftop patio is part of the package when people rent the ballroom. The color and plaster finish of the walls in the new areas match those of the rest of the hotel and theater.
"That's an art that is going away. There are not that many plasterers around," Updike said.
The ballroom is painted a warm, yellow color, like the rest of the building, with rich dark beams running in a grid pattern in the recessed ceiling. The chandelier has already been hung but is under wraps until the painting is finished.
A wide staircase leads from the seventh to sixth floors of the ballroom, with a wrought-iron railing that allows the bride and groom to make a grand entrance. It provides a perfect spot for shooting photos. There are several bars located in the ballroom for easy access. There are also dressing rooms for the bride and groom. A brand new catering kitchen will be on the sixth floor.
On the second floor, where the staff used to have their offices in the hallway between the Indiana Hotel and the Embassy Theatre, there is now a new lounge that can be rented for private parties and could also be used during bigger events. The new space will be completed in time to turn it into Santa Land for the Festival of Trees this year. The staff moved up to the third floor of the Indiana Hotel last summer into newly built office space.
A new bar will also be located in the back wall of the music room. Downstairs in the main lobby, the side wall has been bumped out to accommodate a bar, which will replace portable bars currently used. Construction work to break through that wall will happen the first of the year.
The roof top patio will be used next summer for local artist concerts. The Embassy Theatre recently ran a campaign to raise money for the events and the Amplify Art fundraiser exceeded its goal. Updike said they are considering talking to the parks about greenery that would be appropriate for the rooftop.
The last thing that will be done is transforming the former catering kitchen into a history center. Updike said all of it should be done in mid-February. The Embassy will hold private celebrations for donors throughout that month.
Updike said she knew what they were getting into with the renovation because they had done the third-floor corridor a few years ago. This allowed them to become familiar with the ceiling heights and the construction of the walls. It had also given them the opportunity to work with Weigand Construction and to build a good relationship. Updike said it allowed her a chance to figure out how a construction project could impact her schedule and operations.
"We have to stay strong, open and busy. That part has not changed; in fact, we haven't been busier," Updike said.
Good communication between the Embassy and the construction company has allowed them to do just that.
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Source: The (Fort Wayne) News-Sentinel, http://bit.ly/1PG6caE
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Information from: The News-Sentinel, http://www.news-sentinel.com/ns