Rochester Broadway Theatre League Chosen to Build Theatre on Parcel 5

According to Rochester's Democrat & Chronicle, the city has chosen the Rochester Broadway Theatre League to build the much anticipated performing arts center on Midtown's Parcel 5.

This project has been in the works for years, but the choice to partner with RBTL came as a shock, as many expected the administration to choose developer Andrew Gallina.

The next step in the process is to refine the plan, including financing, and present it to City Council. If the project received the financial support it requires, officials have projected construction to begin in early 2018. It is set to take 18 to 24 months to complete.

The 3,000-seat theatre project, complete with housing, retail, and restaurants, will cost an estimated $130 million. Benefactor Tom Golisano has given $25 million, and the performing arts center will bear his name.

The theatre space is projected to be in use 180 nights per year, with the restaurants, retail stores, and other uses keeping the building active on non-show nights. It is also projected to bring 776 jobs to Rochester.

"What I've learned in this whole experience is it doesn't matter how hard you work on something, or how badly you want it," said RBTL chairman Arnold Rothschild, having logged more than two decades pushing for a new theater. "It's got to be the right time. This was the right time."

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