Courtesy | Alan Beeker
The Dawn Theater will host a public ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house on Friday, March 4 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
This will be the first public event held in the space since 2015, according to Gianna Green ’17, communities manager for CL Real Estate and general manager of the Dawn Theater.
Admission is free to anyone in the community, including college students.
“Everybody is invited,” Green said.
This event comes after the completed renovations of the 1919 building, which cost nearly $2 million and several years to complete. Most of the project’s funding stemmed from a $1.4 million Community Development Block Grant in 2018 to assist in completely restoring the building, according to Friends of the Dawn Theater patron Mary Wolfram.
CL Real Estate, which will oversee the management of the Dawn Theater and other historic buildings in downtown Hillsdale, began managing the property this month, according to Calvin Stockdale ’10, one of the Dawn Theater project’s board members.
“CL Real Estate will manage the property, while the Friends of the Dawn will help with fundraising and community support,” he said.
Among those who will be cutting the ribbon include Peter Limberger, co-founder of CL Enterprises, and Andrew Gelzer, board member and chair of the city’s Tax Increment Financing Authority. The ribbon-cutting will take place at exactly 5:30 p.m., Green said.
After that, guests may go on self-guided tours through the theater. They will also have access to theater snacks, like popcorn and cotton candy.
Additionally, the Phi Mu Alpha band Stella Anne & The Half Pints will play easy-listening songs in the background.
“People can just sit and enjoy the theater,” Green said.
The Dawn Theater is now open for public event rentals, according to Green. Interested parties can email event@thedawntheater.com for more information.
