Thomas Wolfe Auditorium is back open at full capacity. Can its HVAC handle a hot summer?

ASHEVILLE - As the city continues to explore multimillion-dollar renovations for the aging Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Chris Corl, whose department oversees the venue, said they will also consider downtown sites that could fit a new performing art center in search of a more "cost effective" long-term option.

As of March, the auditorium is back open at full capacity after last summer's complete HVAC failure. For months, the 2,431-seat venue was temporarily closed before opening at partial capacity in November.

Corl is the city's director of Community and Regional Entertainment Facilities, which encompasses the Harrah's Cherokee Center, McCormick Field and the Municipal Golf Course, among other facilities. Thomas Wolfe and the ExploreAsheville.com Arena comprise the Harrah's Cherokee Center complex.

Corl hopes to return to Asheville City Council in early summer to continue the conversation. In September, council members indicated an appetite for two of the five potential renovation projects presented by Corl. The more ambitious project weighed in at $150 million, and the other at $125 million.

The city has re-engaged its design team, Earl Swensson Associates, to seek updated pricing for renovations, as well as "site survey options" in the downtown area.

“It’s getting to the point that, is that really worth putting that kind of money into the Thomas Wolfe, or should we be looking at that kind of money in a new build somewhere else downtown?” he said in an April 30 conversation with the Citizen Times.

They are now exploring other sites, Corl said, "to see if we should even talk about a new space somewhere else," or if focus should remain on Wolfe.

“Ultimately, it’s always going to come down to funding partners," he said. "What do they want to see in it?”

He noted an all-new performing arts center has been attempted before, but a funding plan never came together with city, county and Tourism Development Authority backing. The discussion has spanned decades. As have calls for renovation of Wolfe.

Revenue impact

Original estimates for repairs to get the auditorium back online were upward of $1 million, but Corl said the work has come in well under budget: $236,779 spent with outside contractors, $45,000 of work done in-house. Another about $250,000 in additional repairs is anticipated.

With HVAC up and running, plus renovations to its lower level lobby and restrooms, Corl said the auditorium is ready for warmer weather.

Despite Wolfe's closure — and initial projections of $1.2 million in lost revenue — Corl said they are actually going to perform better than originally budgeted due to moving performances into the arena and the ability to program that space in a "bigger and better way."

"We're still making and beating budget even while being closed," Corl said, with no lost revenue.

Asheville Symphony moves Masterworks series to First Baptist

The Asheville Symphony, which has called the auditorium home for 55 years and is its main tenant, announced a formal partnership with First Baptist Church in April. It will move its flagship Masterworks Series to the First Baptist sanctuary on Oak Street, at the northeastern edge of downtown, for the next three years.

This is the first time the symphony will host all its Masterworks elsewhere since the '70s, when it was displaced from Thomas Wolfe for a three-year stint as the auditorium underwent renovations. Then, too, it found a temporary home at First Baptist.

“It's an octagonal hall, so the sound really envelops you anywhere that you sit and hits you in your gut in a really exciting way. You can hear the orchestra with clarity like never before,” Daniel Crupi, the symphony's executive director, said of the acoustic experience in First Baptist. "Even the lowest pianissimo you can hear resplendently in the space."

But at only 900 seats, the smaller venue means the symphony must produce double performances to reach its full audience, creating financial and logistical challenges, like 20% extra in artistic and production expenses.

After the three years are up, the dream is to move into a brand new facility or a renovated Wolfe, he said.

“Our goal is to work very closely in partnership with the city to make something happen,” Crupi told the Citizen Times in April. “The symphony wants to be a partner at that table and we want to help bring it to reality in whatever way that we can.”

In the meantime, the symphony is not abandoning the city's auditorium entirely. Other concerts, including recitals, pops and the popular ALT ASO series will continue to be produced in venues throughout Asheville, including Thomas Wolfe.

While three years would be an "aggressive" timeline, Crupi said the symphony wants to work with other community leaders to help solve Asheville's "large indoor venue dilemma," as a symphony news release referred to it.

“No matter which direction things go, we’re hoping to secure a large-scale performing arts center that Asheville deserves,” he said.

More: Answer Woman: Why renovate Asheville's Thomas Wolfe Auditorium instead of building new?

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Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@citizentimes.com or message on Twitter at @slhonosky. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: What's next for Asheville's downtown Thomas Wolfe Auditorium?