posted 08-04-2006 05:40 PM                    

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It started as a movie palace, and most recently housed a bar and nightclub.

This time, the rebirth of the State Theatre in downtown South Bend will feature somewhat of a born-again bent, as Lester Sumrall takes over.

The name Lester Sumrall is well known in the community: the man who built a worldwide television ministry, based in South Bend.

Now, a grandson with the same name, and perhaps the same pioneering spirit, is starting a unique project of his own at the State.

Spiritually inclined
The last time the State Theatre building was open for business, they served spirits there.

However, that won't happen under the direction of a man whose name is so closely tied to spirituality.

Plans call for turning the State into a cultural events center with a spiritual focus...
Plans call for turning the State into a cultural events center with a spiritual focus...

“No, this isn't going to be a church. Way of Life is a spiritual or religious organization, but we're really interested in communicating God’s love through the arts,” says Lester Sumrall, grandson of the original Sumrall and Way of Life president.

Plans call for turning the State into a cultural events center with a spiritual focus; a place where concerts, conferences and films will help inspire members of another generation to find their purpose.
...a place where concerts, conferences and films will help inspire members of another generation to find their purpose...
...a place where concerts, conferences and films will help inspire members of another generation to find their purpose...

“Our community has gone through a lot with shootings and violence,” says Sumrall. “A lot of that has to do with teenagers and young adults not having anyplace to go that has a positive influence, not a place where they're going to drink, get stirred up for violence. [We] just want this place to be a positive hub of influence.”

And while the work is underway, it's still very much a work in progress. The opening date depends on the success of fundraising efforts.
...while the work is underway, it's still very much a work in progress
...while the work is underway, it's still very much a work in progress at this point

"We need about $500,000 dollars to renovate this place, but (we have) got different corporate sponsors, people coming in want to help in the community," says Sumrall. “...We're going to need a lot of help doing it, but I know that God’s been faithful to provide from before.”

And, not only is Sumrall confident of getting the job done, he's confident his grandfather would approve of the work he is doing. "I think he'd be happy. I think he was somebody who was a person of vision, somebody who was a pioneer. That's kind of what we're doing here."

Renovations still needed
The group is still trying to raise the $500,000 needed to complete renovations.

However, they do hope the State will reopen in November.

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August 04. 2006 6:59AM
State theatre's new mission: the salvation of young souls
Sumrall renovates building for new life

CHRISTINA HILDRETH
Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- In her 86 years, the State Theatre has opened and closed six times, endured four renovations and operated under at least a half-dozen different owners.

She has hosted movies, vaudeville acts, concerts, and a Super Bowl party. The old marquee weathered the Great Depression, movie-goers' flight to suburbia and the 2005 demolition of her Mishawaka sister, the Tivoli.

At times, the State stirred talk of impropriety: she closed for a day in 1929 after the mayor of South Bend declared her burlesque shows to be too "vulgar and disgusting" for public consumption. The theater's showing of "The Exorcist" in 1974 prompted an outcry from Catholics. Reports of bar fights plagued the theater's nightclub shortly after the turn of the millennium.

But old age and a new owner are changing the theater's morals. She is being converted, shedding her liquor license, secular concerts and saucy attitude.

No longer will the theater's entertainment be solely for pleasure and profit. Now the building carries a mission: the salvation of young souls.

"It's time for South Bend to have a place that is a positive influence for teenagers," said Lester L. Sumrall, the new owner of 214 1/2 S. Michigan St.

Sumrall, the namesake and eldest grandson of the man who founded LeSEA Broadcasting in 1957, leads a South Bend-based nonprofit organization called Way of Life.

On July 21, the nine-year-old Christian group bought the State Theatre for $333,000 from East Lansing, Mich.-based First National Bank of America, which acquired the property through foreclosure last August.

By late fall, Sumrall plans to open the theater as a "cultural events center with a spiritual focus."

What does that mean?

"We'll have concerts, conferences, worship gatherings, art exhibits, comedians," he said.

Sumrall expects to host events most nights of the week, targeting an audience of 12- to 30-year-olds. At least one event every week will be for the Latino community, he said.

He has talked to three different coffee companies, including Starbucks, about opening a cafe in the two vacant storefronts adjacent to the theater.

He plans to reinstall much of the building's seating, which was removed when it became a nightclub. A company in New York has donated $276,000 worth of theater chairs. The city has only cleared Sumrall to seat 1,600 right now, but eventually he wants to boost that number to almost 2,000.There is still much work to be done. For the past week, Sumrall, three employees and a team of volunteers have been tearing out the bars and beer-stained carpets.

Previous owners had left the hallways, dance floor and balconies cluttered with every form of trash in their hasty departure. Sumrall and his workers have found dead fern plants, old business documents, dozens of empty cash drawers, broken beer bottles, old rolls of film and antique projectors.

Only last week did they find the switch to light the historic marquee, hidden in a cobwebbed closet of a fire escape near the third-floor catwalk.

"The place didn't come with a manual," Sumrall said as he sorted through reels of old filmstrip in the theater's projector room. "We're still investigating."

But will it work?

Success at the State has not been easy in the past. For 19 of the past 30 years, the theater doors have been locked as various mixes of owners struggled to find a profitable use for the venue. Some neighboring business owners are skeptical of Sumrall's project, worrying that a downtown mixture of teenagers, college bars and young adults might cause problems with underage drinking or sexual predators.

Ken Peczkowski, owner of Griffon Bookstore at 121 W. Colfax Ave., said he is concerned that mixing teens of different economic and social backgrounds in a downtown venue could cause fights and vandalism.

Others think Sumrall's project is exactly what downtown needs.

"Listen, anytime you can get young people coming downtown, it's going to be good," said David Hab, general manager at Dainty Maid Bake Shop, 231 S. Michigan St. "Perhaps they'll buy doughnuts and pastries from us. Maybe we'll even stay open on Sundays."

Sumrall said he understands concerns like Peczkowski's, but doesn't think those problems will materialize. There will probably be a security staff for large events, he said, and the theater will not have a "club" atmosphere.

"I don't feel it will be any more dangerous than any other place where a lot of people are," he said. Plus, he added, events targeting younger teens will be smaller in size and well supervised.

City officials are optimistic about Sumrall's plans for the State.

"It's better than vacant land sitting in disrepair," said Jennifer Laurent, a city economic development planner. "We're glad to see somebody come in and pick it up and do the right thing with it."

At first, city officials were worried that Sumrall might convert the building into a church, giving his organization legal rights to restrict the distribution of liquor licenses to businesses within 200 feet of the State.

But the ordained minister says not to worry.

"We're not going to take down the State sign and put up a steeple," Sumrall said.

At a Redevelopment Commission meeting on July 19, Sumrall and his attorney, Jim Masters, testified that the building would not be a church and therefore would have no legal rights to restrict neighbors' liquor sales.

As far as finances, Sumrall has a long way to go on fundraising. Two donors gave a combined $66,000, but Sumrall estimates Way of Life will need at least $500,000 to complete much-needed renovations.

He has lots of ideas for fund-raisers, including a sale of old theater memorabilia he plans to hold on Sept. 7. He also wants to publish a book with old photos and stories of various South Bend residents' memories of the State, the sales of which will go toward the renovation fund.

But he faces other challenges, too.

Previous owners have blamed business difficulties on the scarcity of downtown parking and the growth of suburban commercial areas such as Grape Road. Other venues, including the Morris Performing Arts Center, also have a strong hold on live downtown performances. Then there's the rumor that the State is haunted by the lavender dress-clad spirit of a 1920s flapper.

Even so, Sumrall is unshaken.

"The blessing of God supersedes all that," he said. "I have no doubt that we'll succeed at what we're doing."

As for the ghost: "I think we evicted her last week," he said with a smile.

The purchase is a huge step for his ministry, Way of Life. Up until now, he said, the group was little more than "a box of legal papers and me."

If he has one thing going for him, it's his connections. He has lots of relatives at LeSEA and it's spinoff, Provident Ministries.

He has friends at various Christian music companies, and is confident he'll be able to book popular speakers or well-known religious bands such as Delirious.

Sumrall can't wait to finish renovations on the theater. He shows it off like a new car, but speaks of it as Jesus would a leper. When asked what about the project excited him the most, the 33-year-old spoke not of lights or loud music, but vision.

"It's taking something old and expressing a new purpose through it," he said. "Seeing something that was dead or cast aside by people and seeing it could be used for something positive and new."

Staff writer Christina Hildreth:
childreth@sbtinfo.com
(574) 235-6271

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posted 08-05-2006 02:29 AM                       

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but we're really interested in communicating God’s love through the arts,” says Lester Sumrall, grandson of the original Sumrall and Way of Life president.

Plans call for turning the State into a cultural events center with a spiritual focus; a place where concerts, conferences and films will help inspire members of another generation to find their purpose.

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quote: William Hooper

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Typically houses of that size become multi-use, showing films, premieres, concerts, etc. A lot about survivability in cities & neighborhoods where there is already another PAC/historic theatre/etc. is focused on positioning the the theatre either via image by way of what kind of shows it runs or by rental cost: Make it the home base of the local symphony, or if another theatre is already the symphony's home, the theatre where rock concerts go; if another theatre with better stage facilities is already the focus for bus & truck stage shows, the theatre will likely have to look for another niche, etc

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The multifunction thing is really the key to survival for any of the old palaces that do make a go of it, and usually it works very well; but you've got to be the first kid on the block and it really helps if you are the only kid.

He would be coming in as number THREE with the Morris Civic on one side of him, already established in the community and bringing in the kind of shows they obviously have learned work for them -- they were doing the Bus & Truck of CATS the week I was there).

On the other side of the street is Notre Dame which can offer just about anything they have a mind to....orchestras, dance, theatre and of course and entire cinema in the complex exclusively for film and video.

And between these to established venues comes Sumrall, hearlding the spiritual aspect of his venue, in effect, looking for a nitche that Notre Dame pretty much holds the copyright to. So for the spirituality hook to work, he will have to position himself differently than ND which presents itself as a mix of spiritual and intellectual. For him to separate himself from that perspective, he may have to move closer to the evangelical movement from which ND does distance itself. But evangelical may not be attractive to many younger people, especially if they know that at that venue they will not be able to see the more popular films, assuming he will not play R rated. He has created a real cunundrum. No R rated in and of itself would be a major impediment to attracting the demographic he is looking for -- younger audiences -- and demographics is the name of the game.

In South Bend, even the venues that at first blush look like they should thrive because they are unique, like the Football Hall of Fame and the Studebaker Museum are having a very hard time of it. I hope this guy can make his dream come to pass, but deep down I think, short of a miracle, it won't be too long before he puts the place up for sale again.