After fearing the closing of State Theatre, Kevin Chadwick purchased the venue located on Central Ave. and has begun revamping the spot that had been plagued with safety code violations since 2016. James Bennett III | The Crow’s Nest
By James Bennett III
An aging, chalk-white building sits at 687 Central Ave.
The architectural influences of the facade exaggerate the building’s age and give the impression that its original architects lived simultaneously in 19th century France and 1920s New York.
Reliefs of bronze-painted eagles hover just outside the building’s ornamental buttresses, glass bricks on either side of the doors blur the interior and neon lights illuminate the boxy roof after sunset.
The crimson marquee perched upon the pale exterior, which usually advertises upcoming events, is covered by a sign that reads “Exciting renovations & improvements are under way. Please check our website regularly for upcoming shows.”
The State Theatre is getting a makeover.
Multiple developers have been interested in repurposing State the past few years, but plenty of St. Petersburg residents believe the venue should be conserved.
Kevin Chadwick, a third generation local, was among the residents who felt it wasn’t quite time to let go of the notorious St. Petersburg institution which has showcased internationally recognized musicians such as Chick Corea and Twenty One Pilots.
Chadwick purchased State Theatre with a family-owned trust for $2.1 million over the summer and announced that he planned to “invest up to an additional $1 million” in renovations.
“(State’s) been kept together for 40 years with duct tape and a prayer,” said General Manager Kendra Marolf. She added that she considered Chadwick such a perfect fit that she fears she may have manifested him, and that if she says his name too many times he’ll disappear.
State’s previous owners ran out of steam after dealing with St. Petersburg’s fire marshal, who had uncovered 30 safety code violations in 2016 and cut the capacity from 700 to 400.
After capacity fell, a number of previously booked events were forced to relocate, costing the venue’s owners roughly $200,000 in 2017.
The previous owners felt that it was time to find someone who could breathe new life into the venue, so in December 2016, they exercised a stipulation in their long-term lease that allowed them to advertise State’s independent owned business and the venue’s property.
The venue’s renovations began shortly after Chadwick purchased State.
They began with fixing the remainder of safety issues the fire marshal found in 2016, including a $10,000 door mechanism and getting the green room and its exit up to code.
Before Chadwick purchased the building, he had the fire marshal lead an inspection to uncover any remaining safety hazards.
About halfway through one of the following inspections, the fire marshal began pointing out things that could be renovated to increase State’s capacity: Raise an entryway in one spot for 15 more people, truncate something else for an additional 20.
Now State’s goal is to surpass the original occupancy and reach a capacity of about 800.
“(The fire marshal) was literally part of the solution and that was pretty cool,” Chadwick said, adding that the fire department and the city love State’s team because they kept a dialogue about repairing safety hazards and making safety their first priority.
After making those improvements, Chadwick’s team of Boyd Construction, Gilmore Design, and architect Jack Bodziak will shift its attention to the equipment and cosmetics of the venue.
Some of the mechanics will be repurposed, the light and sound equipment will be updated and the stage will be renovated so that it can accommodate different events, such as fashion shows or weddings.
Furthermore, the team plans on installing a new blade-style digital marquee, one that will pay homage to the original sign while reflecting today’s technological advances.
As an added bonus, Chadwick’s team plans on renovating State’s four bars.
Some of the downstairs bars will be consolidated and redesigned as a circular art-deco bar.
The upper level bar will imitate the one downstairs, but will be halved and serve the VIP lounge.
The renovations, which were originally going to be installed in three phases, have been streamlined to make them as quick as possible.
The first two phases, which focused on the main theater, bars and equipment, have been consolidated into one phase.
The second phase will focus on the balcony area and transforming it into a proper “VIP experience.”
The renovations are scheduled to be completed by the first quarter of 2019.
Although neither Marolf or Chadwick could comment on the acts they contacted, they assured that they were seeking out some “really cool experiences and events.”
The building, which housed a bank prior to the Great Depression, has already gone through a number of changes. For a while it was a speakeasy jazz club and then a movie theater before finally becoming in 1991 the venue we know today.
