PHOTO SLIDESHOW: Baltimore's Historic Center Stage Stripped To Bare Bones Before Renovation

"It's a wonderful challenge," Stephen Richard, managing director of Baltimore's historic Center Stage tells Baltimore Business Journal.

The building that has housed one of the country's leading regional theatre companies since 1963 is undergoing an extreme $28 million makeover, with the company using nearby Towson University as its temporary space until the work is done.

"This building began its life as part of the Catholic diocese, it once housed Loyola High School and Loyola College," Richard explains. "The college left first, and then Loyola High School moved to Towson and became Loyola Blakefield. The building was vacant for a long time before it became Center Stage."

The redeveloping includes two new stories added to the structure.

"That will be an education center and a new costume shop. Our education program has grown dramatically over the years. We have 13,000 kids coming here a year and we have had to turn away a lot. We'll now have a space 24-7 that will be used for student-related activities."

A new lobby, better acoustics and modern plumbing will also be added. In addition, a new 99-seat theatre space will join the two existing stages, giving the company better flexibility of seating and the ability to mount more intimate productions.

Fortunately, no bones of former actors have been uncovered, Richard kids.

"We will first have a soft opening in November and it will be only in the downstairs theater, the Pearlstone Theater. Construction will be continuing on the floors above. We are thinking about the first production now. We expect to hold the big, grand opening in late January, early February 2017."

Click the Facebook post below for a slideshow of the work in progress.