But without forfeiting his dream, Williams-Heath quietly put in years of work and fundraising, as his predecessors did, to get the building primed for its next chapter.Ĭlark was one of the few who watched the mission begin decades ago and now has taken part of the responsibility of funding the effort into its next chapter. He led the charge with a million-dollar donation for the new renovations, becoming the namesake of the remodeled facility, The Clark Family Cultural Center, otherwise known as The Center. A sexy rooftop bar requires a sturdy roof, after all. Initially, aesthetics took a back seat to practical maintenance repairs. The décor, now visualized in Williams-Heath’s captivating digital renderings, was merely wishful thinking a few years back. An airy and elegant rooftop bar and performance area called The Top Tier with a waterfront view of Pensacola Bay. A renovated theater that appears to be taken straight out of a Ralph Lauren catalog with green plaid carpeting, wooden accents and creamy leather seats.
A fine art gallery that magnifies minority artwork, literally, with spotlight lighting.
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PLT receives $1 million gift: Pensacola Little Theatre receives $1 million gift to renovate building, add rooftop lounge Cultural Center upgrade adds new polish to community treasureīecause of those who laid the groundwork for the initial renovation and maintained the building in the years that followed, Williams-Heath has had the freedom to dream up what the space can become now that basic needs are met and the mortgage is paid.įor him, that is a public parlor with emerald green velvet curtains, stylistically mismatched leather armchairs and a signature cocktail bar. More on The Center's renovation: Showtime! Pensacola Little Theatre's future looks bright with new shows and upgraded home “What’s the only thing more powerful than an imagination?” Williams-Heath asked. With about $2.4 million raised for the 2023 renovation so far, the cultural center is on track for a grand third act, supported by a cast of supporters who have seen all that's been accomplished so far, and have the imagination to see the possibilities for what's next. Williams is setting out to finish something those before him had started - creating a physical space that all members of the community have a place in - while modifying their vision to reflect the growth Pensacola has undergone in the past 30 years. “It (the first renovation) was similar to what we are doing now, just a quarter of a century later,” Clark said. Williams-Heath, who has been stewarding the building since 2017, is leading a $3 million reimagination of the space to preserve the 1911 building’s historic structure while also driving the cultural center forward into the future. Now, 27 years later, the cultural center’s Executive Director Sid Williams-Heath is working to perform an encore. Nonetheless, the funding came flowing in over a six-year span, and the Pensacola Little Theatre’s opening show, "The Wizard of Oz," debuted in the sparkling new, 480-seat theater in February of 1996. The renovation was a huge success, leading to the center opening debt-free and tripling the building’s value. View Gallery: Pensacola Cultural Center & Pensacola Little Theatre renovation plans
“People had to really have an imagination,” Cosby teased. Since there was not much to show for the space aside from loosely sketched renderings, they were selling a dream. Mary Lou Cosby would give tours of the old jail house to potential donors “when it was in shambles.” Her husband at the time, prestigious Pensacola surgeon Brad Pyle, who was then president of the Pensacola Little Theatre Board, brought her along with him as he lobbied statewide for funding. “It was such an enormous job, but we didn’t know it at the time.” “It was a shell,” Dave Clark, Pensacola Cultural Center board member, said of the building’s condition at the time. The project would take at least $3 million in capital, a handful of bank loans, a massive overhaul of the 1911 neo-classical building and a brand-new cultural center board championing the mission. When the deed to the old Escambia County jail and courthouse was handed over to the aspirin g Pensacola Cultural Center in 1988 - its gallows still intact for public hangings - people questioned how such a monumental renovation would ever be completed. Watch Video: Pensacola Cultural Center: Then, Now, & Future | VIDEO
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