The Babcock’s marquee has braved the elements for almost 70 years.
And, though it’s become iconic in that time, it has also lost some structural integrity along the way. A restoration project proposed by Art House Billings, a nonprofit that leases the theater from the city, would fix the underlying structural problems, as well as replace the old school red lettering with a digital marquee.
The iconic and nearly 70-year-old Babcock Theater Marquee hangs over the venue’s entrance in 2023.
The plan is to get rid of water infiltration, not history, so the digital marquee will be designed to look like the current rail board lettering. The neon lights above will be replaced with LEDs, also with the intention of mimicking the existing look.
“A normal person wouldn’t be able to tell the difference,” said John Caterino, a facilities manager for the city. “We want to retain as much of the original design and aesthetic as possible.”
People are also reading…
The marquee is separating from the building, which is a concern for obvious reasons, and is also causing leakage. Along with the necessary structural repairs, it will be digitized because the letters currently in use are no longer made, so any replacements must be custom fabricated and thus are expensive.
“It’s more than lipstick and rouge,” said Matt Blakeslee, CEO of Art House, at a March City Council meeting. “This thing actually needs to be repaired, so we have another 70 years and we’re not just five years out with more rusting issues.”
The marquee restoration is just one of several proposed renovations presented to City Council last month. Art House has committed to covering most of the almost $400,000 worth of repairs, including fixing the sidewalk (also of questionable structural integrity) and the entry floor, as well as replacing the exterior doors. The nonprofit is asking the city to contribute $100,000 to the $150,000 marquee restoration.
“Owning historical buildings comes at a cost,” Caterino said at the meeting.
The city allocated $500,000 to the Babcock in fiscal year ’18, but just $373,000 was spent on repairs, according to Assistant City Administrator Kevin Iffland. At that time, the Council intended to allocate another $500,000 to the theater the next year, but that never happened.
“That’s why we’re behind the curve,” Iffland said.
The cost of renovations prompted a discussion about whether the city should transfer ownership of the building. Art House is currently in the sixth year of a 15-year lease, for which they pay the city $1 per year.
“If we’re looking at getting rid of assets, this seems like a prime one to do that with,” said Councilman Scott Aspenleider.
Councilman Mike Boyett asked Caterino about the value of the building.
“Something like that’s intangible,” Caterino said. “Trying to put a value on that return is a really difficult proposition.”
Councilman Roy Neese said he wanted to see more financial reporting from Art House, to see where the proceeds from ticket sales are going. Neese also said that it seems like the Art House may be able to do the renovation faster on its own, rather than having the city involved in the process.
Not all councilmembers were on board with this idea.
“We do this here in Billings with our nonprofits,” said Councilman Tom Rupsis. “We try to find the smallest possible way that we can contribute.”
City Council ultimately passed a motion to “investigate” transferring the property to Art House, which was supported by Mayor Bill Cole and councilmembers Roy Neese, Jennifer Owen, Bill Kennedy, Scott Aspenlieder, Daniel Tidswell, and Mike Boyett.
Councilmembers Tom Rupsis, Ed Gulick, Kendra Shaw, and Denise Joy voted against the motion.
“Matt, you seem to be handling this pretty well,” Rupsis said. “If I was sitting in your position, I’d be having a heart attack right now.”
The council members agreed that the city needs to address repairs regardless of whether they ultimately transfer ownership of the property.
“We don’t want to be in a situation where we’re like, ‘Take this terrible building that we let deteriorate,’” Shaw said.
As City Council undergoes its “investigation” into transferring the property, Art House will be looking for a contractor with experience in historic buildings and signs to work on the project. Though they’ve come up with an initial cost estimate, finding a contractor will provide a clearer idea of the cost of the project and the ask for City Council.
