Actor John Goodman and former First Lady Nancy Reagan are among the dignitaries that could converge in downtown Springfield to celebrate the next act for the Gillioz.
Nancy Brown Dornan, president of the theater’s board of directors, said MissouriStateUniversity and local arts and theater groups would take part in the celebration. The activities should include visual art, performance art, film and public speaking, though Dornan said most specific events aren’t yet set.
Tom Croley, board member and owner of Croley Insurance and Financial Inc., said the week would begin with a 1920s-style vaudeville act. “It should be absolutely super,” he said. Goodman and Reagan are honorary board members; Goodman attended MissouriStateUniversity, and Reagan attended the 1952 world premiere of her late husband’s movie “The Winning Team” at the Gillioz.
Dornan said Goodman could help emcee, though he hasn’t yet been invited, and Reagan could participate in a DVD commemorating the reopening.
‘Masterpiece’
Restoration efforts have been in the works since 1990, when the Springfield Landmarks Preservation Trust bought the Gillioz and its adjoining lobby from Springfield businessman Jim D. Morris for $85,000, well below market value according to Dornan.
She said major construction on the $8.5 million project has been ongoing for the last six years, slow to finish because the board decided to avoid debt in the process.
Board member Allen Casey, owner of architectural firm The Casey Associates Inc., said restoring the Gillioz is well worth the effort.
“It’s really a masterpiece,” he said. “It’s a crown jewel for downtown Springfield.”
Butler Rosenbury & Partners is the project architect, Smith-Goth Engineers is the engineer, and DeWitt & Associates is the construction manager.
Fund-raising efforts continue.
Dave Kunze, chairman and CEO of The Signature Bank, is chair of a board responsible for raising $248,000 to match a federal grant from Save America’s Treasures.
The Final Stage campaign is just getting under way and will provide the final $1 million for the project through personal solicitations.
The Take a Seat program allows people to adopt one of 1,000 seats for $250 to $1,500, depending on the seat’s location. Adopting a seat earns the benefactor a plaque with their name on the seat.
“The biggest single financial thing has been the tax credits,” Dornan said. “We’ll have about $3 million in the sale of historic preservation tax credits, both federal and state.”
The trust also owns the 9,000-square-foot JimD.MorrisCenter for the Arts, which connects to the Gillioz to the west and was formerly Netters Department Store.
Dornan said they’ve nearly finalized a deal for a second-floor MorrisCenter tenant that would operate a catering/reception business. The board also hopes to lease space on the first and third floors for office, retail and restaurant use.
Dan Compas, leasing agent with Murney Associates, said the second-floor space was leased for $8 per square foot, while the other two floors will go for $10 to $16 per square foot.
Once open and full of tenants, Dornan said the MorrisCenter would generate crucial lease revenues for theater operation and provide a unique business space for its tenants.
“To have a food service area there adjacent to an 1,100-seat theater is really a wonderful opportunity for someone,” she said.
The new Gillioz, like the old Gillioz, will hold live performances and show movies,
though the new Gillioz, unlike the old Gillioz, will lean more heavily toward live theater.
“It’s going to be a wonderful asset to have a much-needed midsized venue (operating) that is such a part of Springfield’s past and Springfield’s future,” Dornan said.
Gillioz Facts
• M.E. Gillioz, a road and bridge builder from Monett, built the Gillioz Theatre in 1926 for $300,000. He equipped it with a pipe organ so it could be used for live shows and silent movies.
• Presidents Ronald Reagan and Harry Truman, and Elvis Presley have visited the Gillioz.
• The marquee, installed in 1996, has 355 flashing lights and is an exact replica of the original.
• Four movies have had world premiers at the Gillioz: “The Winning Team,” “The Weaver Brothers and Elviri,” “Shepherd of the Hills” and “Jesse James.”
• The Springfield Regional Opera held the last live performance at the Gillioz in 1979.