Newspaper Page Text
Cumming Playhouse the future home
of replicated ‘Stellar’ theater chair
By Harris Blackwood
Community Editor
When the curtain rises on
the first performance at the
Cumming Playhouse, theater
patrons will find a touch of
one of the grand movie
palaces of the 19205.
On Feb. 4, 1927, after two
years of construction and at a
cost of $2.5 million, the
Saenger Theater in New
Orleans officially opened to
the public with great fanfare
and a parade down Canal
Street. The top ticket price
was 65 cents, and the bill for
each performance included a
silent movie, stage play, and
music from the Saenger Grand
Orchestra.
The velvet upholstered the
ater chairs which will be uti
lized in the Cumming
Playhouse are an exact replica
of the model which greeted
customers of the Saenger in
1927.
The retro style chair is pro
duced by American Seating
and is called the “Stellar.” It
features a wooden back and
the cast iron standard at the
end of each row features
detailed scrollwork which was
created by designers for the
Saenger theater.
The playhouse, which is
the centerpiece of the soon-to
be renovated Cumming Public
School building, is a 178-seat
intimate theater which will
feature musical and dramatic
performances.
The city of Cumming is
seeking to restore the building
utilizing the design and fur
nishings of its 1920 s origins.
When it opened, the build
ing featured a stage and audi
torium with inclined seating.
In later years, the theater-style
floor was covered and made
level to allow the room to be
used for additional classroom
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space for the growing school.
During the renovation, the
beautiful heart pine tongue
and groove incline flooring
was uncovered, found to be in
good condition and is being
restored to its original promi
nence.
Another feature of the
auditorium discovered in ren
ovation is a heart pine tongue
and groove wooden ceiling
which had been hidden by a
suspended ceiling which was
installed in later years.
As a permanent theater
space, the city is installing the
new seats and wanted some
thing reflective of the era.
"There are something like
9,000 historical theaters
across the United States and
the last thing they want is
something that doesn’t look
authentic,” said Bill Mitchell,
a spokesman for American
Seating, a Grand Rapids,
Mich., company which is
manufacturing the new seats.
“In 1998. when Radio City
Music Hall was being renovat
ed, our chairs had originally
been installed there in 1932,”
said Mitchell. "They wanted
to use that same style, but
newer technology."
The "Stellar" reflects the
grand style of the movie
houses of the roaring ‘2os;
however. technological
improvements in seat mecha
nisms and improved fabric
and padding are incorporated
in the design.
The city of Cumming is
offering interested persons an
opportunity to sponsor a seat
as a tribute to a friend or
loved one. Each of the seats
will feature a dedication
plaque on the back of the seat
noting both the honoree and
the contributor.
“We are hoping that those
with ties to the building might
like to honor or memorialize a
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111 •
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A retro style seat complete with intricate cast iron scroll
work has been selected for the Cumming Playhouse.
The city is offering an opportunity to purchase the seats
in honor or memory of an individual or family.
teacher or friend from their
school days,” said Linda
Heard. Hometown Develop
ment Coordinator for the City.
"This building holds many
great memories for thos’e who
passed through its doors as
both students and faculty."
The dedication program is
not limited, however, to those
who have ties to the school.
The 2-inch by 6-inch plaques
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original prices
will be a permanent part of the
restored building.
The seat sponsorships are
5275 each. Checks payable to
the city of Cumming can be
mailed or delivered to City
Hall.
The deadline for the pro
gram is March 1, 2004. For
further information, contact
Linda Heard at (770) 781-
2010.
FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Sunday, February 22,2004 I
County advises staff
to provide incentives
to keep original trees
By Todd Truelove
Staff Writer
The Forsyth County
Board of Commissioners met
Friday and directed staff
members to revise the coun
ty’s tree ordinance and have
it only apply to forested
areas planned for develop
ment.
The recommendation
means the ordinance revi
sions would no longer
require
developers
to plant
trees in
unforested
areas such
as pas
tures.
The
board
agreed the
intention
of the tree
ordinance
is to retain
trees in
the county
not to
reforest it
as has
been sug
gested by
property
mi'nprc nt
...if somebody's
building in an area
where there are no
trees - and there has
n't been trees for a
long time - we don't
want to make them
start planting trees
there.
-Chairman Jack Conway
99
owners at
public hearings.
"Our intention is to try to
put emphasis on saving
trees,” Chairman Jack
Conway said.
“When someone takes a
tree down, we want them to
replace the tree." he said,
“but if somebody’s building
in an area where there are no
trees and there hasn’t
been trees for a long time
we don’t want to make them
start planting trees there."
Tom Brown, the assistant
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director of the Planning
Department, said the change
is a significant departure
from previous county poli
cies.
“That’s different from
what we’ve been doing up to
this point,” Brown said.
To provide developers
incentive to keep trees, com
missioners directed staff to
revise the ordinance so exist
ing trees would count three
times more toward a proper-
ty’s required
tree density
than what is
currently
allowed.
In addi
tion. Brown
said after the
tneeting a
provision
that would
have
required
adherence to
the tree ordi
nance before
a Certificate
o f
Occupancy
could be
obtained for
new homes
would be
deleted from the ordinance
revisions.
Staff also recommended
language be changed in the
ordinance to ensure private
citizens would not determine
whether developers comply
with the ordinance.
Individual homeowners
who remove trees from their
property are exempted from
the ordinance.
The board plans to con
duct additional public hear
ings as the ordinance is
revised.
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