The Fox Theater, renovated a couple of years ago to great fanfare, really is an excellent piece of local history. It opened in 1930 to what historians consider the biggest party Tucson had seen up to that time. Around 3,000 people turned out to see the opening of a spectacular main auditorium, which can seat over 1,100 people.
Sadly, the theater was closed in 1974. It's ignominious future included a time when it was a refuge for the local homeless community.
When the renovation was finished a few years later, it was considered the jewel in the crown of the local Rio Nuevo plan....a plan to restore downtown to some forgotten former glory, or at least make it more palatable.
I, for one, thought the Fox renovation was a splendid idea. We had a Fox theater in the town where I grew up, and nostalgia alone would get me excited about an idea like this. I have also been to downtown Columbus, where several theaters of this ilk have been successfully renovated. Watching an old movie (well, I saw E.T. in one, Does that count?) in a grand old theater was an awesome event.
After millions of dollars spent on consultations, collaborations and conceptions, the monies the City and State spent on Rio Nuevo has disappointingly yielded very few discernible results.
Now, this news bit informs that the City is taking over the running of the theater from the foundation which has brought it back to Tucson. Apparently some salaried employees that already work at the Tucson Convention Center can take on some double duties (for no extra pay) and run the box office and concessions at the Fox. The Foundation, according to the report, is looking at $60,000 worth of regular expenses with only $40,000 in the bank.
The Fox Theater, crown jewel of Rio Nuevo, in it's now tarnished state, appears to be a fitting representation of the whole darn thing.
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