Grand upgrades coming to historic Macon theater

The Academy of Music in downtown Macon — now known as the Grand Opera House — was once described in a newspaper editorial as the “prettiest amusement house in the South outside New Orleans.”

Opening in 1884, the venue became a popular place for touring acts to perform. After a couple of decades, the Academy of Music was designed into the Grand Opera House on Mulberry Street, a historic downtown landmark that at times has been an uncomfortable setting for its patrons.

Now, though, the Grand is getting some much-needed upgrades that the theater’s executive director, Gram Slaton, says will improve the experience for visitors who attend plays and other events.

Starting this summer, the theater will get new seating and carpeting, as well as a new loading dock. Improvements are also coming to the basement, clearing the way for on-site staff offices. And next summer, the Grand’s lobby and restrooms will get larger and more modern.

There also will be relief from what can sometimes be a stuffy experience when hundreds of people pack the theater for a show. Temperatures inside the venue, which on humid days can feel downright steamy, will be more relaxing after upgrades to the heating and air conditioning system and other improvements, such as sealing the windows.

“There’s never been air introduced into the stage house, which is a third of the building,” Slaton said. “A lot of that comes from the porousness of the north wall. It’s a mini-step approach to taking what should be a very good system but isn’t working correctly now. That will take time this year and time next year to get all of the stages fixed.”

“Right now, we lose a third of the year (in bookings) because it’s just uncomfortable to use the building,” Slaton said of closing the venue during the hottest months. “We can’t afford to lose 33 percent of the year.”

The renovations involve maintaining historical aspects of certain areas of the building, such as the audience chamber, while blending in a touch of modernness.

“What we want to do is create the best possible experience for patrons and friends and citizens coming through the door,” Slaton said.

From “Ben Hur” to movie theater

In 1959, The Macon News chronicled the history of theaters in the city. At the time, the Grand Opera House had become a movie theater because that was cheaper than having live plays at the venue.

But an archived photo and accompanying caption captured the iconic stage that attracted performers from all over.

“This is the mysterious backstage world of the Grand Theater in which old-time actors and vaudevillians lived and worked,” the Nov. 15, 1959, caption said. “The portion of the immense stage is now behind the silver screen that reflects the Grand’s present motion picture fare. Custom-built for the road production of “Ben Hur,” the stage still has the traps and treadmills installed in it, although they are now nailed shut. The doors in the background are to dressing rooms, those in the first floor bearing stars to indicate the high rank of their occupants.”

After growth in the suburbs led to the movie business no longer being viable at the Grand, it was nearly demolished until a group of concerned residents rallied together to raise money to save the building.

And the latest money — $2.9 million — is what Macon-Bibb County commissioners have dedicated to spend on renovations over the next two years. The funding comes from bonds as part of the 2018 special purpose sales tax initiative.

One of the first changes will be the seating, after County Commission just approved a $323,526 contract to purchase and install new chairs. The seating will offer more leg and hip room and other amenities. It would be the first time that the chairs have been replaced since the 1970s.

“It’s seating that’s built for the 21st century body,” Slaton said.

Also, a new loading dock will mean better Broadway shows.

“We have struggled to get all of the scenery and set pieces and lighting onto the stage that we paid for,” Slaton said. “This will allow us to get everything off the truck and onto stage. Eventually, it will end up paying for itself. The audience will see much more of the shows as they have in recent years, as shows have gotten more complex and larger.”

This fiscal year the Grand Opera House hosted 84 events that ran for a total of 122 days and drew about 44,000 people through its doors. With the upcoming improvements, Slaton said the venue will have a longer season — and draw more patrons.

“If we can increase that by 15,000 to 20,000 people by getting the summer months active, I think that’s good for everyone and certainly makes the Grand Opera House much more sustainable,” he said.

Macon-Bibb County Commissioner Larry Schlesinger knows the Grand Opera House well as a season ticket holder for the Macon Symphony Orchestra and from attending other shows at the venue.

“The Grand Opera House is the largest venue that we have for a lot of theater, symphonic (shows) and top acts here in Macon,” he said. “The Grand Opera House has really been in a state of disrepair for a number of years. It’s needed work, but the money hadn’t been there.”

The building will get another infusion of SPLOST funding in about four years. But the work that’s being done over the next year should draw more people to the theater, Schlesinger said.

“The sooner we get the Grand Opera House into shape, the better I think the attendance will be and the number of shows that we can bring in.”

This story was originally published June 9, 2017 at 1:52 PM with the headline "Grand upgrades coming to historic Macon theater."