City Commission votes to partially restore Thelma Boltin Center

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At the General Policy Committee (GPC) meeting on April 27, the Gainesville City Commission voted to partially restore the Thelma Boltin Center.

The building was built in 1943 as the Gainesville Serviceman Center and was renovated in 1999. In August 2019, in response to a request for a new roof, the GPC approved a comprehensive renovation plan. However, during that process, the City learned that the building is not structurally sound. Since the summer of 2022, the City has held focus group meetings to gather input from stakeholders, including dance groups and other organizations that rented the facility in the past. The City’s Historic Preservation Board asked staff to work with a historic preservation architect, so the City hired REG Architects to do a feasibility study.

Four options were presented to commissioners:

Option 1: Complete replacement for $5.6 million, which would include rebuilding the auditorium to match the existing building as closely as possible, with the size increased by 34% to provide better programming space. This option would include elements like theatrical lighting and sound, a green room and dressing rooms, concessions, and additional rental space.

Option 2: Partial restoration for $5.6 million, which would preserve the south and west walls of the existing building but demolish the rest. The rebuilt portions will match the existing building architecturally and will incorporate as much of the new construction layout as possible. The resulting building will be 400-500 square feet smaller than the replacement option. The green room and dressing rooms would be lost under this option, and the Heritage Pecan Tree will have to be removed. This option was the preferred choice of the Historic Preservation Board.

Option 3: Complete restoration for $5.4 million, which would maintain the historic integrity of the exterior of the building but has a high cost uncertainty. The architect said the cost could go as high as $6.2 million.

Option 4: Repair the existing facility for $450,000. This option would remove and replace the roof, replace the failing roof trusses, and make other repairs.

Andrew Persons, who was representing the City Manager at the meeting, said he and the City Manager preferred the partial restoration option, which “balances both the need for new construction and usable program space, as well as a desire from the community to see a portion of the building restored.”

Mayor Harvey Ward pointed out that funding for the project will come from Wild Spaces Public Places (WSPP), not from the City’s general fund: “But money we spend from the Wild Spaces pot is money we can’t spend on other Wild Spaces projects, so that’s important to keep in mind.” He said the tax generally brings in $7-8 million per year. He added, “I want to make sure everyone knows… that this is not going to cease to be the Thelma Boltin Center… The question is, what will the floor plan be like, what will the usability of it be like, etc.”

Commissioners Reina Saco and Casey Willits were both concerned that other projects could get delayed if they decided to spend over $5 million on the Thelma Boltin Center; the cost is also double the size of any WSPP project to date. Willits also remarked that his district does not have a place like the Thelma Boltin Center where the public can hold small performances and ceremonies.

During public comment, most people favored restoring the original building, with partial restoration as their second choice; one person preferred simply repairing it, and one preferred a complete replacement.

Commissioner Bryan Eastman made a motion to move forward with the partial restoration. Willits said he agreed with one of the members of the public who said it was “dishonest” to call it partial restoration because that option would only keep two walls and part of the footprint of the building. However, he said the partial restoration provided an opportunity to “keep honest” to the architecture of the original building and that it’s important to him for the new portion to “call back to the old portion.”

The commissioners voted unanimously for the partial restoration option.