BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A 100-year-old Bismarck theater that has hosted the likes of former presidents John F. Kennedy and Woodrow Wilson is being revamped as part of an effort to draw more nationally recognized performers to the capital city.
Civic Center managers this week took the first step to finance an update to the Belle Mehus Auditorium in downtown Bismarck by getting approval from the City Commission to apply for grant money.
With a new sound system, reupholstered seats and an updated heating and cooling system, sales and marketing director Amanda Bakkedahl said they want to attract bigger acts to the landmark that’s rich in history - it housed the state Legislature after the capitol burned down in 1931 - yet is mostly used for local productions and events.
The auditorium, which opened in 1914 and was last renovated in the mid-1990s, is on the National Register of Historic places, so updating it is more difficult and more costly, as they have to try and preserve the original building as best as possible, she said.
The estimated $500,000 renovation, which will likely start next year, will be funded by grants and a sponsor-a-seat campaign.
The main focus will be to maintain the theater’s original allure and improve its sound capabilities, Bakkedahl said. Because the Belle’s sound system doesn’t meet the minimum requirements for a lot of national acts, it gets passed over as a venue, she said.
“We just want to update it more than anything, so we don’t have such an archaic system and it works well with what (performers) need,” she said.
Bands like Tramped By Turtles and folk singer Arlo Guthrie have performed at the Belle, along with comedians like Kevin Nealon. But such bigger, national acts only perform about once a month, Bakkedahl said.
“There’s a lot of room for growth,” said Richard Loewen, who manages Rhythm Records in downtown Bismarck. “I do think that this city is waiting for things like that.”
Daniel Huppenthal said he noticed the lack of medium-sized venues like the Belle Mehus when he moved to Bismarck from Denver recently to work as a conductor for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Co.
“Unless you’re 21, there’s no going out to shows every Friday night how like I used to do (in Denver),” said Huppenthal, who also said he would like to see more concerts in the area.
Loewen said utilizing the Belle could help bring in more performers from out of town, adding that he and friends have often traveled elsewhere to go to shows he’d prefer to see in Bismarck, at places like the Belle.
“It’s beautiful inside,” he said. “They’ve taken all of the steps to preserve it. There’s nowhere like it in Bismarck.”
___
Online:
https://www.bismarckciviccenter.com/belle
Please read our comment policy before commenting.