Flint Center for the Performing Arts Seat Hh Seat
CUPERTINO — Information technology's where a young Steve Jobs unveiled the starting time Macintosh computer in 1984. Where vocalist Johnny Greenbacks, actor Cary Grant, former British Prime Government minister Margaret Thatcher and every U.S. president since Richard Nixon except George W. Bush and Donald Trump took the stage over the decades.
But Silicon Valley'southward iconic Flintstone Center for the Performing Arts recently closed and somewhen will exist torn down. Its last deed was a Palo Alto University graduation ceremony, on June 22.
The board of the Foothill DeAnza Customs College District final month voted to close the ii,400-seat theater in Cupertino, which opened in 1971, saying information technology needs at least $50 meg in seismic upgrades, renovations and accessibility upgrades for people with disabilities.
Instead of renovating the center, however, the district plans to supercede the building with one more than directly focused on educatee needs. It hasn't decided nevertheless what the purpose of that new facility volition be or how much information technology will price to build.
"It's distressing, later existence at that place for then many years and serving this northern function of the county so well," said Dick Henning, founder of the pop Celebrity Forum speaker series that's been a staple of the Flint Center since 1976. "But it's a big theater and very difficult to fill up, and it'south very hard to make money on theaters."
The Flint Center has hosted Broadway shows, local symphonies, nutcrackers, religious services and college graduations. Its Celebrity Forum has brought foreign dignitaries such as former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and anti-apartheid leader Desmond Tutu and celebrities like 49ers quarterback Joe Montana and Star Expedition role player George Takei. In its last year, the serial heard from quondam FBI director James Comey.
Not least, it's been the place where Jobs and other Apple executives take unveiled the company's newest phones, computers, watches and other cut-edge products. It was fifty-fifty the filming site for a 2015 Steve Jobs biopic.
Yet, filling the theater's seats and booking events year-round has been a struggle. A 2015 study by the district found Flint is booked only 17 to 24 percent of the yr and hosts only half dozen or seven annual events that draw more than 2,000 people. Terminal year, Flint Centre booked 80 events.
Trustee Peter Landsberger said it was an piece of cake call for him to vote to close Flint Center.
"Given the fact that information technology's not the facility that is most in need in this area at this time, and does non serve the instructional or student services at the college, I just couldn't see the validity of making that large of an investment," Landsberger said. "If y'all're going to have to invest 50 meg or more, you demand to do it in a style that's going to maximize a benefit for the college, and for the community at large."
In 2015, the district discussed a number of ideas for replacing Flint Center, including a conference centre, office space and faculty or student housing. All those ideas are yet on the table, equally commune staff is expected to nowadays a program in Oct with development options to consider later side by side year. The district will also hold a boondocks hall meeting that month.
At a June 10 district board meeting, some students called for converting the site to housing to combat educatee homelessness. The board is too considering a "flexible" cultural or performing arts infinite that could be expanded or shrunk depending on the size of an event, commune Chancellor Judy Miner said.
"I share the customs's sense of loss," Miner said. "I do think the community can wait there volition be a peachy deal of opportunity to help shape what goes in that space."
Trustee Gilbert Wong, the only board member to vote against closing Flint Center, pointed to a district survey in which more than than 80 percent of respondents said they wanted to see it renovated as a theater rather than another employ.
"Our students are our number one goal, but what makes DeAnza [College] special is our Flint Heart," Wong said. "Why do we have to choose between housing and the theater arts — why tin can't we have both?"
Wong said the district could explore other options, such every bit a naming rights deal or bond measure out, to relieve Flint Center.
"Why would you desire to build a new Flint Center when nosotros accept one that has a history?" Wong said.
Paula Davis, general manager of Flint Middle, agrees. She questions whether the building needs as much work equally indicated in a district-commissioned written report, which suggested it would cost $28,000 a calendar month to make ongoing renovations while keeping information technology open.
"At that place are things that absolutely do need comeback, merely is the toll tag — the big, scary 50 one thousand thousand dollars — the number? No, I don't believe so," Davis said. "I believe there's a mid-range number that would accept washed what it needed to keep Flint prophylactic, acceptable and online."
Davis said she's glad to hear the board is interested in edifice a new functioning infinite but is concerned the funding will never materialize.
"Information technology's going to exist hands $150 million to build a 1,500-seat facility when you could take spent fifty million to keep the i you lot've got," Davis said. "I think when they are actually faced with those numbers and money, I dubiousness some other performing arts facility will get built."
At that place'south currently no timeline for when the 73,000-square-foot performing arts center will exist demolished, at an estimated toll of $8.4 meg.
Commune officials take suspected structural and code problems with Flintstone Centre for years, and earlier this year opted to shut the building to avert potential rubber or liability issues while waiting for a full written report on the building's condition. The district besides didn't desire to be on the claw for fiscal liabilities if it had to cancel shows.
The report recommended structural fixes, such as replacing the roof and reinforcing physical walls and beams, likewise equally renovations to get the theater up to code, such as replacing guardrails on staircases and updating sprinkler systems.
"The board decided to err on the side of safe," Miner said. "The [inability] issues that could have come up would exist huge, and we'd be ripe for a lawsuit if we continued to take the edifice open."
In 2014, the district discovered seismic issues with an adjacent parking garage, eventually spending $33.5 million to retrofit it.
Davis said bookings have dropped in recent years for a number of reasons, including the loss of two symphonies that lost outside funding and events that went elsewhere considering the parking structure was closed for construction.
"They had to become away for a year, and when they went away, they decided to stay where they were," Davis said. "I don't remember we did a good job of reaching out to former clients one time the structure was back online."
Davis said some larger functioning groups will accept difficulty competing for space at nearby facilities of a similar size, like the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts and City National Borough in San Jose.
"At that place are people who are going to have to miss this market place, or adjust … or scale down their productions," Davis said.
Henning said he had contemplated finding someone to take over the Celebrity Forum, but when he heard Flint Middle would be closed, he decided to end the serial birthday.
"The Celebrity Forum was extremely successful, at that place but weren't enough activities similar it that could sell out the theater," Henning said.
A modified version of the speaker serial will be launched in San Jose past another group, Henning said.
Information technology's unclear how much the reconstruction would cost or how it would be funded.
Miner said the district is hoping a new facility could exist funded past a public-private partnership and ultimately cost less than the $fifty million estimated for renovating Flintstone Center.
The board's goal is to observe a use for the property that will directly do good students, Landsberger said.
"The all-time decision to make is, let'due south turn to the future rather than keep to argue near the Flint Center," Landsberger said.
Contact Thy Vo at 408-200-1055 or tvo@bayareanewsgroup.com.
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Source: https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/07/07/flint-centers-half-century-run-as-silicon-valley-entertainment-hub-comes-to-an-end/
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