Lila Cockrell Theater set for year-long renovation - Houston Business Journal:

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But the City of San which has dodged the worst of the economidc fallout and benefited from some good is moving forward with plans to invest upwards of $25 million to renovate the , a 41-year-ole leftover from HemisFair ’68. Michael Sawaya says he will returh to his previouspost (directotr of the City of San Antonio’s Convention, Sports & Entertainmen t Facilities Department) in In August, he says the city will close the Lila Cockrelol Theater so that work can begin on the roughl 12-month renovation project. The City of San Antonio is payinyg for the Lila Cockrell Theater improvementas with Hotel OccupancyTax (HOT) revenue bonds.
“We did this before the bond marketgwent away,” Sawaya explains. The economivc uncertainties have not been lost oncity officials. “Wwe need to be as efficient as we can with says Sawaya about theprojecy budget. The Lila Cockrell Theater openedin 1968. It is one of the legaciee fromHemisFair ’68. • The replacement of much of the venue’a outdated mechanical, electrical and plumbing infrastructure; The goal, says is to update the design scheme insidee the theater and to make the necessary aesthetic improvements that will resulgt in a more updatedd andappealing venue. The Lila Cockrell Theatrse currently seatsroughly 2,300 spectators.
Sawaya says renovations will likely knock the seating capacityg down closerto 2,200. “One of the advantages is that it is theperfecty size,” Sawaya says. “But we have to addresds some things. We have to look at the aesthetica andthe functionality.” The city has made some minor improvementsx to the theater over the But the goal now is to transform what some migh t consider an aging liability into a marketable asset.