Quintessence Theatre Group Purchases Historic Sedgwick Theater

Quintessence Theatre Group's Board of Directors, Chaired by Patricia Stranahan, has purchased the historic Sedgwick Theater in the Mt. Airy neighborhood of Northwest Philadelphia for $2.3 million. “Quintessence Theatre Group's Board of Directors is pleased to announce that we have purchased our home of 14 years, the Sedgwick Theater,” said Stranahan. “It has been our long-held dream to make the Sedgwick our permanent home and we are grateful for the outpouring of support, financial and otherwise, that we have received from the community. We are excited to begin to renovate this beautiful, Art Deco building and to work with our Mt. Airy neighbors to create a cultural space that does justice to the vibrancy of the area.” Stranahan added, “Most importantly, we remain committed to Quintessence's mission to bring classic theater of the highest quality to Philadelphia, the region, and the nation.” 

The building is being purchased from David and Betty Ann Fellner and is being financed by Mid Penn Bank, along with support from a contingent of private donors. 

As the Sedgwick is the jewel of main street Mt. Airy, State Senator Art Haywood was an early supporter of Quintessence and its plan to purchase and renovate the theater. Senator Haywood created a PA budget line for the Sedgwick Theater, making Quintessence eligible for the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Funding Program (RACP), from which it has secured $1,750,000 in funds to renovate the historic building.

The Tourison family was well known as visionary Mt. Airy builders and developers and the Sedgwick Theater was named for a son, Sedgwick Tourison. The building was designed by prolific theater architect William Harold Lee, and opened in 1928 as an Art Deco movie palace, with a palatial lobby, room for a live orchestra and the ability to seat 1636 movie-goers. The Sedgwick Theatre operated until 1966, when it closed and the auditorium was divided from the lobbies to be used as a warehouse. In 1994, the building was acquired by local business leaders and developers David and Betty Ann Fellner and operated as a community gathering space - The Sedgwick Cultural Center - featuring concerts and music workshops, film, gallery spaces, children's programming and ArtsJam, an annual arts and cultural festival.

The Sedgwick Cultural Center ceased operations in 2006 and in 2010 Alex Burns returned to Philadelphia seeking a venue in which to produce classic repertory theatre by his newly formed Quintessence Theatre Group. A Mt. Airy native, Burns knew the space and the Sedgwick became the rented home of Quintessence Theatre. 

Burns shared, “The remains of the Sedgwick Theater are a reminder of the world class city Philadelphia has been for nearly three and half centuries. The Sedgwick's Art Deco majesty harkens back to a time when Philadelphia invested in the creation of extraordinary architecture for arts and entertainment. There is a perfect synchronicity between the grandeur of the Sedgwick and the epic works of classic theatre presented by Quintessence.” He added, “The Sedgwick is a palace worthy of Shakespeare's Kings and Queens, it is a temple for calling on the Gods of antiquity, and it is also a community gathering space, bringing the people of Philadelphia together to tell old tales and reflect on our collective journey. Quintessence continues to work to secure the resources necessary to renovate our home into a state of the art theatre for the Sedgwick's 100th birthday in 2028. Growing up only blocks away from the Sedgwick, it is my greatest honor to join Quintessence's staff and board of directors in stewarding the renovation of this awesome and unrivaled venue, for we must ensure a second century of greatness for Northwest Philadelphia's last remaining movie palace.”

Throughout the past 14 years, Quintessence has produced epic, award-winning classic theatre at the Sedgwick, while continually investing in upgrades and improvements. A fund-raising campaign is in place to support additional extensive renovations. The style of the Art Deco structure survives with intact original architectural arches, hand painted plaster-work, glass chandeliers, and relief ceilings. The company is working with Philadelphia-based Voith & Mactavish Architects, and plans include a new marquee that will replicate the original, adding an additional 16' of space to the black box theatre which will increase seating capacity to 250, new dressing rooms, restroom renovations, upgrades to HVAC, plumbing, lighting, acoustics, accessibility, and more. Quintessence will produce their 16th theatre season off-site while renovations are being completed, and then move back into the Sedgwick for a grand re-opening at the end of 2026, or beginning of 2027.

Noted Erica Ezold, Executive Director of Quintessence, “I can't think of a better way to start our XV Anniversary Season than with Quintessence's commitment to the Sedgwick as our permanent home in Mt. Airy. This purchase represents an incredible amount of work on the part of our board, staff, and pro-bono legal team at Ballard Spahr (headed by Sara McCormick, with significant support from Ashley DeLuca), and I am grateful to all of them. In addition, we are deeply grateful to David and Betty Ann Fellner for stewarding this historic property so that its future will be secure. I look forward to realizing our ambitious plans for the Sedgwick and making it a space where Quintessence Theatre and the community can thrive for years to come.” 

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