Executive Director Becky Hancock says it’s complicated describing how the Tennessee Theatre could connect with 612 S. Gay Street (originally known as Mechanics Bank & Trust) if you aren’t walking onsite. “Looking at the buildings from Gay Street, there’s a building in between, but the rear of 612 is only 10 feet away from an exterior wall of the theatre,” she explains. “In the midst of due diligence in 2018, an architect and surveyor we hired confirmed that two of the levels of the property aligned with the main and balcony levels of the theatre so we could connect the buildings and bridge over to expand our spaces.”
That discovery kicked off a capital campaign to acquire the neighboring building and renovate it for a much-needed expansion for guest amenities, theatre programming and rehearsal spaces, and educational and outreach services that Becky, her team, and the board had envisioned for decades.
Q. Tell us about this property the Theatre has acquired.
The building at 612 S. Gay Street has six floors: the first four floors were built in 1908 and the top two floors were added in 1923. The Theatre was able to purchase a majority of the building, divided into commercial condos, in early 2019. Another condo was purchased separately in September 2024. Much of the historic building was unoccupied at the time of initial purchase.
Q. What has driven the 612 Expansion Project?
Our 2005 renovation improved the stage and backstage and preserved the classic beauty of the auditorium and lobbies, making for a busier theatre. The Broadway series has been the biggest driver in increasing attendance, with more than half of those audiences coming from beyond the nine surrounding counties in East Tennessee, Western North Carolina, North Georgia, and Kentucky. This growth provided a solid financial base for daily operations, but also generated challenges such as moving 1600 people in quickly and through lines during intermissions, with two Saturday shows making it even harder.
The 612 Expansion will have an immediate impact on patron amenities. McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects, who were also lead on the 2005 renovation, developed plans to renovate the acquired spaces to include additional men’s and women’s restrooms, full concessions and bar on the balcony level, and a separate gathering, entertaining, and event space at street level in the gorgeous former bank lobby.
Q. Beyond enhancing guest amenities, what will the expansion achieve?
We have a mission to take care of this beautiful theatre, but also share it with everyone in the community. Along with alleviating long lines, the 612 Expansion answers needs from our board’s wish list for twenty years. As we’ve expanded our education and community outreach, we’ve wanted to do more, but those very worthwhile activities can put a strain on the organization financially. With our busy show calendar, we haven’t had to place the burden of maintaining and operating the Theatre solely on charitable giving. However, we’ve needed additional room to balance serving the community better while still being fiscally responsible by continuing to sell mainstage tickets.
The 612 renovation plans create dedicated rehearsal spaces, small performances and additional theatre programming spaces (recitals, cabaret-style performances, lectures, readings, etc.), and outreach spaces for educational and community programs promoting arts and cultural enrichment, while also increasing our office administration footprint.
Q, What’s the timeline for the project?
We’ve been working on it since 2018. We retained Partners Development for project management and Jenkins & Stiles as construction manager and submitted construction documents to the city for the permitting process in March 2020, assuming the Covid shutdown would be over in a few weeks, which as we know didn’t happen. The project was picked back up in the fall of 2022. We took a fresh look at the plans, made tweaks and submitted those construction documents for permitting July 2023 and to the general contractor to get final cost estimates. All along, we were quietly fundraising until we got our building permit in March 2024 and held a press conference announcing construction beginning in April. Target date for completed renovation is late summer 2025. Our campaign goal is $20 million. We are currently at $17 million and still actively raising money for the project.
Q. What’s especially exciting about the renovation?
A. For me, it’s what will emerge once we are in there and see how to fully utilize it … leaving part of the canvas blank so others can pick up a paintbrush and show us how they can benefit from these spaces. We’re a big fish in the nonprofit pond. How can we make a difference for smaller fish? Arts organizations that don’t have rehearsal space, for example. That’s a responsibility we feel keenly and our board is committed to that. It’s about impact, access, and making memories that do not fade away.
The Tennessee Theatre celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2028. We want supporters to be excited about contributing to a project that will make it possible for their families and future generations to make their own memories at this historic treasure.
For more information TennesseeTheatre.com/about-us/612 project
Becky Hancock, Executive Director
Tennessee Theatre
“Music education made a huge difference in my life, helping prepare me for the career I love,” says Becky Hancock, at the helm of the Theatre for more than a decade, and before that, General Manager for six years. “It enhances lives and prepares students for careers they can’t even imagine. Opportunities like our Marquee Awards help East Tennessee school kids connect and bond. As a member of The Broadway League, we host a local competition for musical theater high school students. Last year, the two students who won went to New York City to participate in master classes and workshops with Broadway professionals and perform on a Broadway stage in the National High School Theatre (Jimmy) Awards. Any area high school in a two-hour radius of us presenting a fully staged musical can compete in performance, technical execution, choreography, set design, etc. It culminates in May at our Marquee Awards where schools perform mini-sets from their show on our stage and individual nominees are judged live for the top prize. Because of the 612 expansion, the Tennessee Theatre will become a hub for performing arts education and execution year-round. We’re excited about partnering with schools and teachers who want to enrich their students’ experiences in arts education.”
A Permanent donor wall will include gifts of $25,000+ with other recognition opportunities for gifts of $100,000+ (Gifts may be spread out over several years).