Yale Theater

[Pete]

Press release:


Yale Theater in Historic Capitol Hill PARTICIPATING IN PARTNERS IN PRESERVATION:
MAIN STREETS CAMPAIGN LAUNCHING TODAY
Yale Theater in Historic Capitol Hill Hosting “Open House” Event Highlighting
Importance of Yale Theater’s Preservation October 5

Oklahoma City, OK — September 25, 2017 — As a participant of the Partners in Preservation: Main Streets campaign, Yale Theater in Historic Capitol Hill is encouraging the public to visit VoteYourMainStreet.org to help secure funding to preserve and renovate Yale Theater’s historical facade and marquee facing Commerce street in Historic Capitol Hill.

Yale Theater pre-dates Capitol Hill’s annexation into Oklahoma City in 1910. In 1946 the Art Deco facade and marquee were added. The theater was recently purchased and is being renovated and redeveloped by local developers Steve Mason and Aimee Ahpeatone.

While plans include interior refurbishments as well as structural and roof repairs, the central piece of the renovation is restoring the Yale’s facade and signature marquee. Funds granted from the Partners in Preservation: Main Streets campaign will be used to restore Yale’s facade and marquee.

Partners in Preservation is a community-based partnership, created by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express, to raise awareness of the importance of preserving historic places and their role in sustaining local communities.

Partners in Preservation: Main Streets will award $2 million in grant funding from American Express to Main Street districts in need of preservation support across America. The public will determine which sites will receive funding by voting for their favorite main streets through October 31 at VoteYourMainStreet.org, the online voting portal hosted by National Geographic Travel.


Partners in Preservation: Main Streets Open House
Yale Theater in Historic Capitol Hill will host an Open House event on October 5th from 4 pm to 7 pm for the public, highlighting the importance of Main Street preservation efforts in Oklahoma City. Historic Capitol Hill is one of twenty-five historic Main Street districts across the country participating in the Partners in Preservation: Main Streets Open House.

As part of Yale Theater’s Open House, residents and guests of the Oklahoma City area will have the opportunity to learn more about the restoration and renovation of Yale Theater from developer Steve Mason and view the interior of the theater.

Delta Air Lines is the sponsor of the Partners in Preservation: Main Streets Open House. Open House activities at the Yale Theater in Historic Capitol Hill are one of many local events taking place nationwide between October 5 and 9.

[Pete]

Great event at the Yale tonight and a good reason to get down to Capitol Hill:

Please join us Thursday, October 5 for the Yale Theater in Historic Capitol Hill Open House at 227 SW 25th Street. 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

• Come see the plans for the revitalization of this amazing venue! Beer from Anthem Brewing Company, wine from Waters Edge Winery, and water will be provided along with Yale-inspired cookies!

Vote here DAILY to help Oklahoma City's Yale Theater in Historic Capitol Hill win a share of $2 million in American Express Funding for preservation projects!

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/voteyourmainstreet/#/

[Pete]

Went to the event at the Yale last night and ran into our very own shawnw.

It was really cool to see the local businesses in Capitol Hill there and they are all very excited to have someone like Steve Mason not only invest in the area but do it respectfully and while reaching out to the community.

In its current state, the Yale is *rough* after years of neglect and abuse. But you can see the potential.

[shawnw]

[AP]

Riflesforwatie and I stopped by last night. Can't wait to see how this turns out.

[Pete]

As fate would have it, at the event I met the guy who owns the building directly east of the Yale -- a really nicely maintained property -- and then saw him again later at FlashBack as they were doing a fundraiser for Puerto Rico.

Sharp younger guy who is heavily involved with trying to help renovate the entire area and draw in the existing businesses.

Sooooo much potential down there and I met another developer / investor who has already bought one building and has more under contract.

Things are starting to happen down there.

[Plutonic Panda]

Here’s the link to go vote for NatGeo’s Main-street Competition: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/voteyourmainstreet/#

Note: you have to sign up with a valid email and register. You get five vote to use for multiple cities. I used 3 for OKC.

[baralheia]

Wow, those things are antiques! Looks like a Peerless Magnarc carbon-arc lamphouse paired with a Brenkert projector and pedestal, and an RCA sound head; this 35mm projector combo would date to somewhere in the mid '40's. I wonder if all the parts are still there... I understand this combo was considered nearly bulletproof, even some time after Brenkert went out of business. That's some history right there!

[shawnw]

You should hit Steve up about taking them off his hands :-)

[Pete]

I'm sure the only reason those are still there is they are almost too big to move!

[baralheia]

You should hit Steve up about taking them off his hands :-)

Man, believe me, I'd love to... I got bitten by the film bug as a teen, and was a projectionist for a year and a half in my early 20's... That was a decade ago and I still remember it fondly. Despite the low pay, that was still the most fun job I've *ever* had. I absolutely adored working with film and maintaining our projectors, to provide the best possible performance for each and every showing. I still have quite a few old trailers from when I worked in the industry, and I'd LOVE to have something to play them on. I just have absolutely no place to put a projector like that, nor the money to purchase and restore anything to perfect working order. I *really* wish I did!

There are still people out there that collect this stuff... Many of them formerly employed in the industry, either on the exhibition side or the creation side. You might try talking to the projectionists at the OKCMOA to see if there's a local collector's scene... This decade-old article (http://www.outlookoklahoma.com/archi...r-s-collection) mentions a Ken Corder that may be able to help find a home for these beauties, too - assuming he's still around and that his e-mail address (kbcorder@swbell.net) is still valid.

[shawnw]

That would be a thing for Steve to do. I just saw them and thought they looked very old and that someone else "out there" had to see them.

[shawnw]

I'm sure the only reason those are still there is they are almost too big to move!

I don't even know how they'd get those out of there. I wouldn't trust carrying them down those old wooden steps...

[Pete]

Please vote for the Yale Theater as it may help them receive grant money for the renovation.

Voting ends Oct. 31st.


https://www.nationalgeographic.com/v...#/?mainstreet=

[Pete]

Last day to vote for the Yale:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/v...=oklahoma-city

[OKC2017]

according to recent article by steve lackmeyer, steve mason and john austin have been proactively acquiring multiple properties within the radius of influence of the yale. more than two dozen of capitol hill's most prominent properties are already under new ownership and redevelopment works for the yale and the oklahoma national bank across the street are scheduled to conclude toward the end of this current year.


http://newsok.com/historic-bank-thea...rticle/5576133

[OKC2017]

i passed by the yale today and saw new gutters and downspouts.

[Pete]

Renovation has started here.

[Pete]

Work continues.

Interior shot courtesy of Modus Construction.

[Pete]

[BoulderSooner]

steve mason also posted that this project should be finished in 60 days

[Urban Pioneer]

I’ve been spending some late nights there. We lit up the neon about an hour ago. It’s going to be a great venue.

[Pete]

[shawnw]

WOW. Such a big difference from the pre-construction open house.

[LordGerald]

WOW. Such a big difference from the pre-construction open house.

Totally agree. When I saw it over a year ago, I really had my doubts that it was re-claimable. This is miracle work. That neon is fantastic.