A Premier Venue for Rochester
For years Rochester area performing arts organizations and civic leaders
have lamented the lack of a medium sized venue for the performing arts. Of the approximately 25
area public venues listed by the Arts and Cultural Council of Rochester that are actual
theaters or auditoriums, only three are near 1,000 seats and only two of those are in the vicinity
of downtown Rochester. None of the three has an orchestra pit, and the two near downtown do not
have proscenium stages or back stage areas and are not conducive to the presentation of
performing arts. Moreover, the owners of those theaters are not presenting organizations, and therefore do not attract national or international performers to their stages. The larger theaters downtown—Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre and the Auditorium Theatre—serve their audiences well, but
at 2,326 and 2,464 seats respectively, they are too large to suit the needs of smaller
ensembles, chamber groups, individual artists and other local, national, and international acts. As a
consequence, Rochester residents do not have the opportunity to see a wide variety of
performing artists and lecturers who will not be booked into the larger theaters here due to
their size and the financial risk of such a large house.
This is all about to change…
440 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607
585-256-0444
LyricTheatreRochester.org
Words from the Community
“We congratulate the Rochester Lyric Opera on this
exciting initiative. The potential for creating a beautiful
opera house and presenting jazz concerts during the
year creates additional opportunities to enjoy great
music in downtown Rochester. We applaud this project
and look forward to future collaborations.”
Jamal Rossi, Joan and Martin Messinger Dean of the
Eastman School of Music
“The RPO applauds the vision, energy, and ambition
of Rochester Lyric Opera leadership and others who are
spearheading this exciting project. The transformation of
one of Rochester’s most beautiful and historic buildings
into a performing arts space for the community makes
this a welcome addition to the city’s cultural landscape.”
Charles H. Owens, President & CEO
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
“As we celebrate our ninetieth year of providing a
transformational education to students in Rochester
and beyond, Nazareth College is excited to endorse
the work of the Rochester Lyric Opera and their
acquisition of a space that will support the
presentation of opera, jazz, and many other forms
of music, which will bring opportunities for both
students and professional musicians in our
community to deepen their commitment to their art
through participation as a performer and a listener.
The arts are one of Rochester’s greatest assets and
this venue will allow the community to capitalize on
this resource.”
Dr. James Douthit
Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs
Nazareth College, Department of Music Chair,
2005-2014
440 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607
“The adaptive reuse of one of Rochester’s
architectural gems, the First Church of Christ,
Scientist, into a state-of-the-art theater…will add to
Rochester’s flourishing artistic culture.”
Lovely A. Warren, Mayor
City of Rochester
“An attractive, state-of-the-art facility of this size is
not to be found in Rochester. [T]he Theatre, once
completed, will provide a phenomenal, world-class
performance space…to many local performing arts
organizations. [I am] also confident that the Theatre
would…attract national and international acts that
would otherwise not be booked in this region due to
lack of an appropriate venue.”
Marc Iacona, Executive Director
Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival
“In a word, our Board would say ‘Bravo!’ This is the
biggest thing to happen in our neighborhood in the
last 30 or 40 years. We see nothing but good here.
We think it’s really in sync with everything that is
happening in the area. We are very enthusiastic
about this.”
John Lembach, Chair of the Board
Park-Meigs Neighborhood Association
“Our congregation is so delighted to come together
with Rochester Lyric Opera to open the door to
this fantastic possibility for our city. The beauty and
harmony that occurred in this structure as a place
of worship for nearly a century can now continue
with the beauty and harmony of wonderful musical
performances for our community for years to come.”
Mark Catlin, Board Chair
First Church of Christ, Scientist, Rochester
585-256-0444
LyricTheatreRochester.org
Kismet
For nearly 100 years, the members of the First
Church of Christ, Scientist have worshiped at, and
taken loving care of, their magnificent building at
440 East Avenue near downtown Rochester, which
includes a 1,000 seat auditorium and a spacious hall
where Sunday School convenes. Recently, the members
began to consider selling their beloved building, but
were mindful of preserving the character of this
National Historic Landmark. The Rochester Lyric
Opera (RLO), meanwhile, was looking for a
permanent home for its performances and educational
programming, and the Xerox Rochester International
Jazz Festival (XRIJF) was exploring locations for a
smaller series of jazz performances outside of its
summer festival. RLO was near a decision on another
site, but jumped at the chance to view this building
when they learned it might be available. One visit
was enough to convince the leaders of RLO that they
were looking at the future Lyric Theatre. They quickly
engaged XRIJF, which signed on to host a jazz series
during the year and book the theater as a venue
during its annual festival. The Christian Science
congregation was delighted to find an appropriate
steward for its architectural treasure.
Built in 1915, the church was designed by William G.
Kaelber and William V. Madden, two architects who,
alone and working with others, were responsible for
many of the hallmark buildings that shaped
Rochester during the early part of the 20th Century.
The church was designed and built to Christian
Science specifications, including an “auditorium …
440 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607
as to produce perfect acoustics.” It is said that George
Eastman, who frequently worked with Mr. Kaelber
and his firm, was so inspired by the beauty of the
church’s design, he asked Mr. Kaelber to design the
Eastman Theatre.
Commanding prime street-front real estate in the
heart of Rochester’s entertainment, historical and
cultural district, the building is integral to the
character of the surrounding East End and East
Avenue neighborhoods. It joins several landmark
buildings in the Neighborhood of the Arts that have
been converted from private to public use, including
the current School of the Arts, Memorial Art
Gallery, Visual Studies Workshop and George
Eastman House.
585-256-0444
LyricTheatreRochester.org
One Inspirational Use to Another
The design for the Lyric Theatre calls for the creation
of two theater spaces that carefully preserve the
church’s visual splendor and acoustical perfection
while updating the current building into beautifully
functional and technically optimal performance and
lecture halls.
The renovated building will finally provide a venue
to meet the community’s need for a medium sized
theater: the main worship space will be converted
into an approximate 900-seat theater with a
proscenium stage, an orchestra pit (a surprising rarity
among Rochester theaters), and retrofitted with stateof-the-art sound, audio-visual and stage technology.
area and gathering space for patrons before, during
and after performances. The building’s stately
exterior, with its columned portico and yard opening
onto East Avenue, offers ample, suitable space for
outdoor presentations and festivals. Existing offices
will become the administrative space for the RLO
and for staff members from the XRIJF, who will be
contracted to manage the Theatre operations.
The charming adjacent former Sunday school space
will become a cabaret hall-style venue with a seating
capacity of 150 to 175 for performances and 300 for
receptions. It will be perfectly suited for intimate
recitals, lectures, rehearsals and small group
performances, and will serve as a splendid reception
440 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607
585-256-0444
LyricTheatreRochester.org
Use of the Lyric Theatre
Perhaps more than any other downtown space, the
Lyric Theatre will provide an optimum venue for
myriad educational and community organizations to
offer programs and events they otherwise might find
difficult to present. The Lyric Theatre will not be for
Rochester organizations alone, however; it will draw
national and international acts, which will enrich the
The Lyric Theatre will become the official home for the RLO’s fully-staged productions and
concerts, children’s ensembles, vocal competitions,
adult recital series and community outreach
programs. They will present two major operatic
productions plus one chamber opera festival, as
well as four to six vocal recitals and master
classes annually.
The XRIJF has committed to using the Lyric
Theatre as a premier venue for its annual festival and as a home for a new year-round jazz series and other special events.
The Fringe Festival has booked the Theatre for performances during its festival in Fall 2015.
The Rochester Oratorio Society will present two
to four performances, as well as its Classical Idol
vocal competition, annually at the Lyric Theatre.
region’s arts and cultural offerings, benefit the local
economy, and draw thousands of patrons each year.
As busy as it will be, the Lyric Theatre will not compete
with other venues such as Rochester Association of
Performing Arts, Eastman Theatre or Auditorium
Theatre because of their size and the nature of the
performances presented at each.
The Rochester City School District’s School of
the Arts plans to use the Lyric Theatre for
musical, theatrical, and technical instruction
for its students.
The Rochester Society for Chamber Music,
Pegasus Early Music, the Eastman School of
Music, and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
have expressed great interest in using the Lyric
Theatre for the superior acoustics, the perfect
house size, and the upgraded facilities it will offer.
Houghton and Nazareth Colleges also have
expressed interest in having their ensembles
perform at the Lyric Theatre.
In addition, the Lyric Theatre will be available for bookings for national and international acts, as well as corporate events and visiting lecturers.
The Opera Guild of Rochester plans to present its
annual lectures, and likely will house its archive, at
the Theatre.
440 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607
585-256-0444
LyricTheatreRochester.org
Economic Impact
The Lyric Theatre will operate as a financially viable
facility from its inception. Even at usage of only 32%
of available rental days/nights, the Lyric Theatre’s
anticipated operating budget will generate income
to ensure its maintenance and upkeep. Moreover,
according to the Americans for the Arts & Economic
Prosperity IV study conducted in 2010, an audience
member at an arts performance spends an additional
average of $24.60 in the local economy. This means
that for every 10 performances in the main theater,
at an average of 600 seats occupied per performance
(roughly 2/3 of the house), the Lyric Theatre will
generate $147,600 in spending in the Rochester area.
Lyric Theatre Acquisition and Renovation Budget
Building and land acquisition..............................................$1,200,000
Theater renovation, equipment, stage
and orchestra pit construction.............................................$3,070,000
General conditioning, site work.............................................$300,000
HVAC.........................................................................................$875,000
Electrical....................................................................................$800,000
Plumbing....................................................................................$117,500
Architect, construction, administrative Fees........................$536,900
Contingency..............................................................................$600,000
TOTAL.......................................................................... $7,499,400
440 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607
585-256-0444
LyricTheatreRochester.org
Sample Annual Operating Budget
Rental Income*
RIJF, LLC events, Visiting Performers
and Community Events
Total.............................................................................$260,000
Expenses
Theatre Administration.........................................................$40,000
Repairs & Maintenance.........................................................$24,000
Utilities....................................................................................$36,000
Insurance.................................................................................$15,000
Real Estate Taxes......................................................................$3,000
Telephone / Internet / Fire / Security....................................$2,200
Lawn / Landscape....................................................................$2,000
Parking Lot Repairs / Snow Plow..........................................$5,000
Custodial...................................................................................$5,000
Bank Fees .................................................................................$1,000
Legal & Professional Fees........................................................$2,500
Total.............................................................................$135,700
*At 32% occupancy of available rental days/nights
As owner of the Lyric Theatre, the Rochester Lyric Opera bears all expenses associated with its operation.
A detailed operating budget prepared by The Bonadio Group is available upon request.
440 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607
585-256-0444
LyricTheatreRochester.org