Community leaders, city officials and Peninsula residents gathered at the McMillin Event Center on Dec. 10 to discuss the future of the historic Luce Auditorium at Liberty Station in Point Loma.
Representatives of arts consulting firm Albert Hall & Associates presented several interior design alternatives and viable business plans for the building’s future uses, said Tom Hall, a consultant with the company. Initial cost estimates for the renovations could range from $1.5 million to $10 million, he said.
The NTC Foundation raised the $65,000 for the redevelopment study earlier this year, and the study should be finished by January, according to NTC Foundation officials.
“No decisions have been made, but we have come up with some practical approaches for how to best use the Luce for the community,” Hall said.
Hall presented several conceptual designs, each filling a unique niche for the auditorium, he said.
Two separate designs feature retractable seating and staging. One design would emphasize performance uses with accommodations for conference uses. The other design would primarily be used for conferences but accommodate performances.
The focus of the designs would determine the cost, Hall said. A focus on conference uses would probably be cheaper to operate, he said.
Another design would be a more traditional 500- to 600-seat theater with a large lobby, a donor’s lounge and concessions area. This design would be ideal for larger music performances, Hall said.
Hall also suggested the possibility of a movie theater comprising two smaller screening rooms and a larger one.
Yet another design would feature a 300 fixed-seat dinner theater cabaret with a small kitchen and lobby. This design would be best suited for a sole operator, Hall said.
Earlier this year, a private company suggested a pirate-themed dinner theater show for the Luce. The idea, however, was rejected by the community. A fixed-seat design intended for a sole operator would likely be a multi-purpose design fit for a variety of users, he said.
As Albert Hall & Associates wrestles with design and business plans, part of the challenge lies in working around the physical limitations of the building itself.
“We still have a lot of historic questions that need answering and that will help determine ” of the options we saw ” which one will be the most successful,” said Alan Ziter, executive director of the NTC Foundation.
In addition to keeping the façade and other historically significant parts of the building intact, the designers must also work with the acoustic and other historical limitations, which have yet to be outlined by the city’s historical resources board, he said.
Representatives of several performing arts and dance groups that hold classes at Liberty Station also attended Monday’s meeting.
Jean Isaacs, artistic director of San Diego Dance Theatre, said she would prefer a 500-seat traditional theater setup. Isaac’s company is one of three dance companies in residence at the renovated building at the intersection of Dewey Road and Truxton Road, next door to the Luce.
“We would like to see all three [dance] studios have a place to perform,” she said. “That’s key to the development, not that it should be exclusively dance.”
Javier Velasco, artistic director of San Diego Ballet, echoed the desire for a large fixed-seat traditional theater but said he’s sympathetic to the need for flexibility in the uses.
He added, however, that no matter which option the NTC Foundation chooses, the Luce should have an artistic face of its own.
“When you walk into the Luce, you should know [you’re] in a space, a vibrant space, where art is going to happen,” Velasco said.
While Isaacs, Velasco and others would like a maximum-capacity, fixed-seat stage dedicated to dance, what the Luce will ultimately house is tethered to financial realities.
Ziter points to the Lyceum Theatre at the Horton Plaza as a model to help pay for more access to the theatre. Potential users can apply for a grant from the Horton Plaza Theatre Foundation to help pay for costs, he said.
If the Luce Auditorium had a similar pool of funds it would open up the theater to users who couldn’t afford full production costs, he said.
“If someone came to us and said, ‘I want to give you $5 million “¦ that would be a great way to solve all those problems,'” he said.
Once the study is complete in January, the NTC Foundation’s board of directors will work toward implementing the recommendations, including a business plan, to best meet the community’s needs.
Located on the former Naval Training Center, the Luce Auditorium has hosted legendary artists like Bob Hope, Kay Kyser and Nat King Cole, according to NTC Foundation officials.
For more information about the NTC Foundation, visit www.ntcpromenade.org/about.php.