Saint John’s Imperial Theater is receiving $2.1 million from the federal government to make the building’s heating and cooling systems more environmentally friendly.
The total cost of the retrofit is $2.69 million, with the theater responsible for $538,387 of that amount.
“We are absolutely thrilled that we were able to receive the maximum amount allowed by the grant, which was 80 percent of the estimated cost of the renovation,” said Angela Campbell, the theater’s executive director.
She said the “antiquated” heating and ventilation system needed replacing.
The improvements should reduce annual energy bills by 62 percent, Campbell said, while reducing the theater’s greenhouse gas emissions by 135 tons per year.
Saint John-Rothesay Liberal MP Wayne Long said in announcing the funding that the Imperial is a “cornerstone” of the city’s historic community and the money “will enable the theater to continue to put on wonderful performances and serve the needs of the community.” To meet residents of Saint John for another 100 years.”
The theater opened in 1913, was a cinema and then a church and reopened as a theater in 1994.
Little variety for visitors
Campbell said the upgrades wouldn’t make a huge difference in how people experience the theater.
“It doesn’t affect the overall aesthetics of the building very much at all,” she said, although the improvements will allow air conditioning in more areas of the building.
Only the stage and auditorium are air-conditioned, Campbell said.
“What we can do with that is … expand the cooling systems in the offices, in the lobbies and in the backstage areas and in the dressing rooms,” she said.
This increased cooling will be thanks to HVAC replacement. Campbell said the system has been in use since the building reopened as a theater in 1994.
“Although it was state of the art then, it’s 30 years old now,” she said.
With that money, the theater can focus its fundraising efforts on the ongoing list of improvements a 120-year-old building needs, Campbell said.
“To say it’s a huge relief from the organization’s perspective that we don’t have to conduct an in-depth fundraising campaign to pay for the HVAC overhaul would be an understatement,” Campbell said.
“The seats are 30 years old, they will need to be replaced in the near future,” and the theater also wants to upgrade its tech to keep up with the industry standard.
The renovation work should be completed by the summer of 2024.
