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Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Five hundred Kanawha County junior and senior high school students rehearse for the 27th annual Kanawha County Choral Festival at the Municipal Auditorium on March 13, 1975.
ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä’s Municipal Auditorium, at 200 Civic Center Drive, is shown on Feb. 5, 2024. It was closed that month, after an assessment that got underway in January found “critical electrical and structural issues that require immediate attention,†Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin has said.
ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä’s Municipal Auditorium, at 200 Civic Center Drive, is shown on Feb. 5, 2024. It was closed that month, after an assessment that got underway in January found “critical electrical and structural issues that require immediate attention,†Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin has said.
KENNY KEMP | Gazette-Mail file photo
The 85-year-old Municipal Auditorium is in bad shape.
And no matter how ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä proceeds, creating a usable venue will likely cost more than $25 million.
This was the gist of a presentation made to the ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä’s Municipal Auditorium Special Committee Thursday afternoon. The committee is made up of City Council members and Coliseum & Convention Center board members. The presentation can be found online at .
Options for the Aud
In the end, Adam Krason of presented two options to the committee:
Renovate the existing auditorium and build an addition for needed bathroom and concession space — $25.4 million
Tear down the auditorium and rebuild a new venue — $25.2 million
ZMM tried to find a way to renovate the auditorium without an addition, but the option would have reduced seating capacity to an amount that wouldn’t be useful, and there still wouldn’t be adequate toilets, Krason said.
A 3,400-seat venue serves a purpose, Patrick Leahy, general manager of the Coliseum & Convention Center, has said. Other audience sizes are served by existing city venues.
A renovated auditorium would still present many of the existing challenges, Krason said. Additionally, renovating an old building could reveal even more problems.
Deficiencies in the building
For about 45 minutes, Krason described the damage his company found over the course of a three-month inspection of the Municipal Auditorium.
“Every building system requires work,†Krason said. “There’s no part of this building that is in good condition.â€
Krason listed 11 major deficiencies, most of which are life safety concerns.
To start, water has gotten into part of the electrical system and has been there for some time. The water creates a risk of explosion, and Appalachian Power shut off electric service from the building, causing its closure in February.
Krason said the water seeped in around the conduits that brought power into the building. It would not have been noticeable without this type of thorough inspection.
Fixing this electrical issue alone would cost $750,000, he said.
Additionally, the fire alarm system is “insufficient,†and the alarms are turned off during performances. Fire personnel be in the building to conduct a fire watch.
Accessibility for patrons with disabilities is “almost non-existent,†Krason’s presentation states. There are only two accessible bathrooms. To get to the wheelchair seating during performances, attendees must navigate a “difficult and unsafe†slope.
Krason said the auditorium needs at least 16 more women’s toilets.
The building stands almost entirely below the 100-year flood plain, and moisture has infiltrated the exterior brick. There is no emergency backup power system.
Five hundred Kanawha County junior and senior high school students rehearse for the 27th annual Kanawha County Choral Festival at the Municipal Auditorium on March 13, 1975.
Gazette-Mail file photo
The history, and the revenue loss
Issues with the building began very early after its completion in 1939, Krason told the committee, specifically noting the acoustics and heating system.
While the building is on the National Register of Historic Places, Krason said the most historical part is the front facade, which was originally gray in color.
“Even when I’ve talked to some of the historic experts in the area, they’ll concede the auditorium really isn’t historical. It’s that front facade,†he said. “And for most people, [the history relates to] the events that occurred in there.â€
Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin said she asked for the inspection because of the money the city was spending on small “band-aid fixes†for the facility and because of the increase in bookings at the venue.
Before the 2021 hiring of booking group OVG360 and Leahy, general manager of the facility, the 3,400-seat building wasn’t being used, according to Goodwin. In 2022, there were 57 shows at the facility.
“We now know who we can get here,†she said. “And these are the best touring acts in the country, and they’re looking for this type of venue. When I look back at some of the numbers,†Goodwin said, “it really concerns me that we had to shut it down.â€
Next steps
Committee members will study a full report on the facility and return with more questions for Krason at the next meeting, a date for which hasn’t been set.
Goodwin has said the decision will be made jointly with the City Council and the Coliseum & Convention Center Board. She has no concrete timing on next steps but wants it to happen as soon as possible.
