400+ attendees at the ArtsAVL Town Hall on Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
Arts AVL Open Letter of Support for the Renovation of Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
Councilors,
I urge you to move forward with plans for a major renovation of Thomas Wolfe Auditorium not just for the sake of this crumbling building, but for the sustainability of our downtown.
It comes with a steep price tag for sure, but the longer we wait the more the costs will rise and the more our community will suffer from the loss of the substantial economic benefits this facility offers in both direct and indirect spending. Please keep in mind that the residents and visitors this space brings to downtown stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants, and visit our retailers. These businesses will all be impacted by the decisions you make for Thomas Wolfe Auditorium.
As you may or may not know, ArtsAVL has a unique history with Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. The arts council was formed in 1952 as a subcommittee of the Asheville Junior League with a singular mission– to build a performing arts center.
Through the arts council’s tireless efforts, a new performing arts center was planned for Spruce Street in downtown Asheville. A bond referendum was passed (yes, it can be done!) and the City Council even voted to approve the plans. However, that project was folded into the Civic Center project due to lack of funding for the Civic Center, and Asheville Auditorium was renovated instead of a new facility being built.
History shows building a new performance center is just not feasible and pursuing it would be another red herring. Our community was robbed of the arts facility we had been promised when this building was created and it is time to make a real investment in this space for our residents, local businesses, visitors, and for the sake of our downtown.
The City is not alone, there are partners like ArtsAVL willing to come to the table and help move this forward. And, if you look at a debt servicing model over a larger period of time, the cost starts to feel a lot more manageable.
I ask you to join me in having some faith in what this community can do if we all work together.
With Gratitude,
Katie Cornell, ArtsAVL Executive Director
With the support of the ArtsAVL Board of Directors