Grove Park hopes to reopen historic theater to public by 2027

A rendering of the Grove Park Performing and Cultural Arts Center which is expected to open in Photo provided by Grove Park Foundation Credit Grove Park Foundation Westside residents can expect the area s new Grove Park Performing and Cultural Arts Center to be open by the first quarter of according to Grove Park Foundation Executive Director Gavin McGuire The Grove Park Foundation a nonprofit aimed at revitalizing the Grove Park neighborhood was founded in and purchased the historic Grove Theatre located at Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway NW that same year The nonprofit has since been working to convert the theater into a district and arts center We added the performing and cultural arts side of things to show respect to the district and really make sure that we highlight the legacy residents the pioneers in the district within the space not only for performing arts but leaders of the population McGuire revealed The restoration project has received financial endorsement from numerous sources including million each from the Bank of America and Chick-Fil-A as well as grants from the Fox Theatre According to Urbanize Atlanta the renovation is expected to cost million In February of Urbanize Atlanta shared that the renovation plans for the theater call for additional office space storage space and a break room on the second floor The theater would be on the ground floor and the building s facade would be restored The renovation also includes flexible performances and studio spaces and retail space The Grove Theatre originally opened in June of and shuttered in According to McGuire the space has gone through various iterations since that time including a skating rink and a pawn shop Refurbishing the theatre also brings hope to the population to see the expenditure in the society but also more importantly seeing that another node of commercial expansion and rise is happening on the West Side and in Grove Park in particular in an area that hasn t constantly been receiving investments and revitalization McGuire noted McGuire stated the Grove Park Foundation operates by four pillars Housing Economic Mobility Soundness and Wellness and Instruction Part of the Grove Theatre project includes retail space the foundation hopes to fill with local businesses at this time taking part in what McGuire called the nonprofit s Business Ready venture which debuted in January of this year We re not just looking at a moment but how do we build a sustainable model to build the confidence that people need to be whole within the population as all the great things are being built McGuire noted We want to help families to grow and to expand and to thrive but not be displaced as all of this great advancement is coming to Grove Park The performing and cultural arts center will be located across the street from KIPP Woodson Park Academy and the area s YMCA Early Leaning Center which the foundation helped open back in McGuire reported he hopes the proximity will make it easier to expose kids in Grove Park to the arts The group is excited because for those performing arts options you normally have to leave the society McGuire stated They re able to not only stay in their neighborhood but fellowship with their neighbors The post Grove Park hopes to reopen historic theater to populace by appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta