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Letter on Question and Answer Sheets and Time Magazine Article on Cultural Centers_01.04.1972Iry�J �tl}li jf�C Y�� ���JVn 1u�,�r] �Vj, 1 l GYM 71W �iy� j� TER ; I�FIp MMITTIE EXECUTIVE a A. Freon Robert J, Dy( George A. Freon WWSWWW ��1��11 � Donald B. Gra Mrs, F. Benjamin Meari Wayne A. Norma Robert W. Rand La Verne J. Scheabor Gent W oodwer William Woodwor a GENERAL CHAIRMAP Dear Friends of Five Flags: Wayne A. Narmai ADVANCE GIFT CHAIRMAP Robert J. Dye We have heard overwhelmingly favorable ADVANCE GIFT COMMITTEE Frank H. Bertsct comments concerningour C. December 13th Evening at the Theater Program and we want to take J. Buelov Dr. Gaylord M Couchmar George e. A. Fi,i Igei Charles A. Fireunc George A. Freunc this opportunity to especially thank each of you for your part in William R. Janser Roland E. Kennedy Charles Ki nt William K,u,.m G. Kruse making the occasion the success that it surely was. The Five Paul J. L H. L M.D. Duane M Ludwig Duane J. on Roger A. Ott, M.D. Ott, .D, Roger J. Rhomberg Flags Civic Center concept is now officially launched and we look Joseph .J. Schmitt Joseph R. Schmitt forward to sharing Progress in all phases of the Hrm Ur N. IraUSCn, Jr. Allen campaign and GorgeA°Welling William Woodward project planning with you in the immediate weeks ahead. Marvin W. Whitlow Harvey N, zackerman SPECIAL GIFT CHAIRMAN Norman R. Foreman We are presently completing work on our printed materials which SPECIAL GIFT ASSOCIATE CHAIRMAN Thomas E. Graham will include the enclosed Question & Answer Sheets. If have Frank T. Hardie Keith W. Sheehy you y SPECIAL GIFT questions, comments or suggestions concerning this material we DIVISION LEADERS Barton P. Brown f David L. Clemens would appreciate your conveying them to the campaign office soArnoldPatrG. Gerald E. Critz Fleming Arnold N. Honkamp Dayton G. Howe that we may act upon them. Representing a community endeavor Jerry R, Kenline esreA Kessler William Kraus r Michael Mcc Cauley the Five Flags Civic Center proposal is in Joseph ph Pickett E. Schmidt every concerned EdwThomas ard H. Sheppley III citizen's domain. GENERAL GIFT CO-CHAIRMEN Mrs. George Broodwoter Frail N. Stackis EDUCATION COMMITTEE In the event that you missed it we are also enclosing an article Msgr. Francis P. Fried[ Robert) Giroux Rev. Kevin O'Rourke urke Walter S. Peterson Rev. Harold Rlgney, S V.D. which appeared in Time magazine and relates to our project nation- Dr w Sibley Towner Dr. Wi H. Weiblen mly Garlyn H. Wessel ally. We think you Will find It interesting. Wayne Drexler ARRANGEMENTS COMMITTEE Mrs. Henry B. Miller, Chmn. Mrs, Ellen P. Brown Mrs. F. Bomar -in Merritt Again, your help is deeply appreciated. PUBLICITY CHAIRMAN Donovan O. Leopold TREASURER William Woodward ASSISTANT TREASURER The Five Flags Civic Center Executive Committee Mrs. Estelle Airier, AUDITOR Ralph K. Brooks NATIONAL CONSULTANTS Richard P. Bissell Raymond T. Forsberg Charles Geroux Denys Peter Myers 1/4/72 r 661 Fischer Bldg E,Dubuque, Iowa 52001 • 556-6331 ABOUT THE FIVE FLAGS CIVIC CENTER DOES DUBUQUE NEED A CIVIC CENTER? The need has been evident for many years and has been documented in a recent Real Estate Research study which is available for review. IS THE PROPOSED LOCATION A SUITABLE ONE? According to Real Estate Research Corporation the urban renewal land on which the proposed convention center is to be located is well suited due to the following reasons: a. The compact form of the Dubuque urban area places the majority of the city's population within three miles of the site. b. The location at the south end of the urban renewal area will benefit from the rejuvenation of the downtown area and the interest generated by the pedestrian mall which will terminate at the site of the Civic Center. c. The location of the proposed Civic Center is readily accessible to all areas of Dubuque in that the major traffic arteries serving the city and its market region converge and cross in the vicinity of the site. d. The site is well located with regard to the supply of transient accommodations. e. The site adjoining the Orpheum Theater is also well positioned in regard to existing parking facilities. In addition to proposed on -site parking provisions, there are 750 parking spaces in the municipally operated ramps, both located within a four -block walk of the subject site. IS THE ORPHEUM THEATER WORTH SAVING? Architects and restoration consultants report that not only is the Orpheum structure a sound one but that, "The building has great potential as a pre- servable example of its period. It is an ornament to the city and has an outstandingly attractive interior. Most important, it has a potentially viable future as a theater and concert hall of historic importance in connection with the proposed civic center, since there is a large legiti- mate stage and the accoustics are reported to be excellent." WHAT IS THE COST OF THE RENOVATION OF THE THEATER? The cost of renovating the Orpheum is estimated at $165,000. To replace the theater today would take well over $1,000,000 even assuming that the craftsmanship of architectural detail could be duplicated. Therefore, the Five Flags Civic Center as proposed not only preserves a building of historic and architectural distinction but eliminates the cost of construc- ting a new auditorium -theater type facility. Page 2 WHAT IS THE ESTIMATED TOTAL PROJECT COST? The total estimated cost of the project is $1.3 million as itemized: Public Use C Arts Building $ 700,000 Theater Restoration 700,000 Equipment Site 110,000 Site Improvements 200,000 Administrative Expenses 60,000 65,000 TOTAL $1,300,000 WHO WILL OWN AND ADMINISTER THE CIVIC CENTER? It is intended that the Center be built with private funds raised by total community participation and upon completion will be deeded to the City of Dubuque to be operated for the public good by a City Council appointed commission. WILL IT TAKE TAX DOLLARS? Real Estate Research reports that the Center can be self-supporting, how- ever, the City Council will decide in the future whether any tax support would be available. WHEN WILL CONSTRUCTION BEGIN? Present plans call for construction to begin in late 1972 or early 1973. An architectural firm will be retained when the fund raising has been successfully completed. DOES THE FIVE FLAGS CIVIC CENTER CONCEPT HAVE COMMUNITY ENDORSEMENT? The Five Flags Council represents a cross-section of community leaders who have endorsed the project and agreed to serve in an advisory capacity. Key campaign leadership has been enrolled and is listed herein. The concept has also been endorsed by the Dubuque Art Association, the Dubuque Historical Society, the Dubuque Symphony and the Tri-College Cooperative Effort Education Committee. Further, City Council Resolution No. 363-71, December 6, 1971 declares as follows: "Be it resolved by the City Council of the City of Dubuque, Iowa: Section 1. That the Five Flags Center Project is looked upon with favor by the City Council of the City of Dubuque and is recommended to the entire community as worthy of its support to provide a facility which would enhance the cultural and citizen participation potential of the community and surrounding areas to match and balance the current industrial, commercial, academic and economic growth of the Dubuque Metropolitan area." PYW ( J l aitl"'� ��� �►h 1 I� PITTSBURGH'S HEINZ HALL FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Recycled Centers There are two ways for a city to ac- quire a cultural center. One is to clear a downtown neighborhood and erect an entire.new complex —at a tremendous expenditure of money, time and public inconvenience. New York's Lincoln Cen- ter cost $184 million, took ten years to complete, and disrupted traffic and res- idential life over a 14-acre area for much of that time. The other way is to take an existing theater, such as an aban- doned movie palace, and simply re- furbish it. This more modest method may produce less grand results, butit is cheaper, quicker and less traumatic for the surrounding community. In recent years several cities —frus- trated by inadequate, outdated facilities but pressed for funds and space —have turned to the second way. St. Louis con- verted an old Loew's Orpheum into Pow- ell Hall, now the home of the St. Louis Symphony. Youngstown, Ohio, adapted the former Warner Theater not only for its symphony orchestra but for new op- era and ballet companies. Similar projects have been carried out in Hous- ton and Los Angeles, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, iseagerlyinvestigating the idea. Good Throw. Most impressive of all these recycled centers is Pittsburgh's Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts. It -stands on prime real estate, in the so- called Golden Triangle area, just at the point where the Allegheny and Monon- gahela rivers meet to form the Ohio. The former Penn (movie) Theater, it was re- claimed from the wreckers in 1968 for $800,000, then remodeled for around. $10 million in only 15 months, Since its opening last fall, Heinz Hall has become the focal point of an energetic renais- sance of Pittsburgh's artistic life. It is in regular use by the Pittsburgh Opera, Civ- ic Light Opera, Pittsburgh Ballet, Pitts- burgh Youth Symphony, and its owner and principal constituent, the wood -class Pittsburgh Symphony under Conductor William Steinberg. TIME, DECEMBER 27, 1971 - Last week Steinberg led the orchestra through a program of Shostakovich and Mozart that, besides being musically re- warding, demonstrated that the audi- torium is an acoustical gem. Heinz Hall has what is called a good throw. Its sound reaches the audience in smooth, vibrant, evenly distributed waves. Ger- man Acoustician Heinrich Keilholz re- moved a lot of old velvet, surrounded the stage with reflector panels (remov- able for opera and ballet), then hung a larger, fan -shaped reflector out over the main floor. "In the old days," says Stein- berg, "Pittsburghers had no way of tell- ing what their orchestra really sounded like. To find out, they had to go hear us play in Carnegie Hall in New York." Hot Ticket. The old days meant a great barn of a place called the Syria Mosque, where the only thing murkier than the sound was the drab walls. By contrast, Heinz Hall is a gay neo-Ba- roque extravaganza of red, white and gold. Its roomy halls and stairways exude an old-world charm seldom equaled by more up-to-date structures of glass and steel. As is typical of old movie theaters, there is not a- single seat with a bad sight line —more than can be said for the Concert Hall in Wash- ington's new Kennedy Center. As its name implies, Heinz Hall owes its existence primarily to one man, Hen- ry J. Heinz II (ketchup and 56 other va- rieties). In the early 1960s, Conductor Steinberg and Orchestra President Charles Denby seriously considered an ambitious, multibuilding cultural com- plex, then ruled it out because of the es- timated cost of $ l9 million. Deciding it would be better to spend part of that sum refurbishing the Penn Theater and channel the rest into an orchestral en- dowment, they put the scheme to Heinz. He virtually opened the family coffers to the project. Today the Pittsburgh Symphony has an endowment of $22 million, the largest of any orchestra in the nation. In its new setting, the orchestra is the hottest ticket in town —save per- haps for the world -champion Pittsburgh Pirates. The entire current season (48 concerts) is sold out by subscriptiory t lffl�hi ! i "I