The McDonald Theatre has returned.
On Sept. 6, the Eugene historic landmark theater reopened as a performance arts venue with musical act Taj Mahal headlining the show. The building was previously Eugene’s only downtown movie house, and had been closed since Jan. 10 of this year.
Kit Kesey, whose family owns the Springfield Creamery, has taken on a five-year lease agreement with the Geiger family, which owns the theater and the entire block surrounding it.
When construction began in 1925, the building was intended as a vaudeville theater. Things remained this way briefly until a boom in the motion picture industry forced the vaudeville acts to end. Kesey sees the reopening as a return to the building’s performance-venue roots.
“We’re reviving the theater’s original intent. It’s a phenomenal piece of Eugene that’s been buried all these years,” he said.
Kesey has dubbed the theater’s new look a “cosmic renovation.” The dressing room and stage have been unearthed and repaired while the building’s distinctive high ceilings and spacious interiors remain.
Alcohol will be served on a case-by-case basis, determined by the type of performance, he said. In the event that the theater serves drinks, seating will be portioned by age group. Patrons younger than 21 will be assigned balcony seating, while those of legal drinking age will roam downstairs.
He said the theater can fit a market niche between the larger and smaller performance venues in town, and he hopes the theater’s reopening will attract smaller to mid-sized national performers.
“There is a definite void,” he said. “They’re passing Eugene by because of the lack of a venue of the right size.”
In order to allow a steady stream of local performers to use the building, Kesey expects revenue to be maintained by larger acts. He said he envisions the theater hosting a variety of performers from dance to lecture.
Film projection equipment and the THX-certified sound system have also remained intact, he said.
Local businesses are optimistic about the theater’s return. Walt Hunt, the co-owner of the New Odyssey Juice and Java Bar next door, will change his business hours in order to capitalize on the theater’s crowds.
Hunt said he is excited about the reopening, viewing it as beneficial for his own business and integral to revitalizing downtown.
“The arrival of the McDonald Theatre completes the picture. It’s the crown jewel of all these new businesses,” he said.
Diantha Hull, the co-owner of Poppi’s Anatolia restaurant, said she anticipates additional business and will schedule more staff for her restaurant during show dates.
“Dinner and a show; it’s a classic,” she said.
Sales for shows are brisk, and the theater is booked through November. Still, Kesey remains cautiously optimistic about the future.
“If the Eugene market will support it — that’s the question,” he said. “In the meantime, I’d just like to see this place rock out.”
When asked about ballot measure 20-50, which, if passed, will reopen Broadway street to vehicular traffic, Kesey said he supports reopening the street in the hope that it will bring additional business and commerce back to the downtown area.
“There haven’t been 900 people standing around this block in a long time. I’m hoping to do it four to five times a month,” he said.