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Tivoli fundraising kickoff draws famous ballerinas

December 08, 2009
Daniel Nolan
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/686610

Ballet big guns are lending their support to a community campaign to restore the historic Tivoli Theatre and make it home to a youth ballet ensemble.

Veronica Tennant, the famed prima ballerina for the National Ballet of Canada, was on hand last night for the launch of the Toonies for Tivoli -- Soul of the City campaign by the Canadian Ballet Youth Ensemble (CBYE).

Also on hand was Evelyn Hart, who is artistic consultant to CBYE. She had a distinguished three-decade career as prima ballerina with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

And from Cuba came Alicia Alonso. The 90-year-old founder and director of the National Ballet of Cuba is here to promote her troupe's involvement in the The Nutcracker at Hamilton Place this weekend, but is a big supporter of restoring the Tivoli, said CBYE CEO Belma Gurdil-Diamante.

Alonso is one of half a dozen prima ballerinas who have attained the title assoluta, an ultimate prima ballerina.

The Toonies for Tivoli campaign is part of a $15 million capital campaign to restore the James Street North theatre, which has sat empty since its partial collapse in 2004. Donations of any amount are welcome.

Tennant, who retired in 1989 after 25 years, called restoring the Tivoli "a wonderful idea." She will be contributing to the campaign.

"Theatres have just fantastic echoes of the past," said Tennant, now a film maker. "I'm really behind this. No theatre should be snuffed out."

The CBYE, which hopes to raise $5 million from the toonie campaign, bought the theatre in 2006 for $2 from the Sniderman family of Sam the Record Man fame. It was built in the 1870s and became a theatre in 1924.

The campaign's co-chair is Gina Gentili, director of legal affairs and assistant general counsel of Corus Entertainment. She was on the Royal Ontario Museum board and the Minister of Culture's Advisory Council on Arts and Culture.

Gentili recalls seeing the Ten Commandments movie at the Tivoli when she was a child.

I was actually surprised to go by on Friday and notice they were actually using it as a venue. The James Street side doors were open and I could see some stage lights on in there. I didn't think any of that stuff still worked.

aslong as its not desturbed genrally it will still work

taking a look on a certan sites db damn that a beutifull building!!! the damage does not look that bad either

Anyone know if there's a connection between Belma Diamante and Diamante Holdings?

They had the Theater open again tonight with a band playing in there. There wern't too many people watching. Need to spread the word about this more.

Opera Hamilton a future tenant?

http://www.thespec.com/news/local/ar...hamilton-place

That would definitely be nice and help the restoration along.

It would be a good pairing with the ballet company, but I don't think the Tivoli has the required stage elements (fly, orchestra pit) - not to mention the front of the house is missing.

I think Dofasco Centre for the Arts is more likely their new home. Hopefully we aren't going to see another Hamilton institution relocate to Burlington. Mind you, a lot of the season ticket holders already live that side of the Harbour.

Not mentioned in the article is the fact that HPO and HBYE are also voicing concern over the increasing costs to perfo there. There should be warning lights on here, particularly when we see the dismissive attitude Duncan Gillespie has towards their concerns.

Actually the Tivoli does have a fly gallery and the stage was extended over what used to be the orchestra pit. With modifications, it could be brought back.

Even still, it would obviously a huge stretch as funding would need to be raised to construct a new frontage.

The Tiv would definitely be an appropriate recipient of FF dollars...ooops, guess that ain't happening.

Tivoli Jungle.. Unacceptable!

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...3/9c1d9f5c.jpg
(photo by me from today)

Tivoli restoration talks, apparently there are multiple offers for the theatre:

http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/news/stor...on-tivoli.html

Promising...

I presumed it was an industrial dumper. Wow, exciting and what better for the artistic area.

It would be cheap to construct a low-key small entrance which can use the couryard in front as it is currently. It could prevent crowds flowing into the street. This method is used in Oakville's theater downtown.
http://i46.tinypic.com/bjae7l.jpg

Would be interested to know how much was raised over the last few years for the Toonies for Tivoli campaign.

Given that Diamante purchased the Tiv for $1 and the city has pumped over $395,000 into the building since then, I would be surprised if council hasn't considered expropriation.

Here are four ideas Planning and Economic Development threw together for the Tiv a few years back.

http://www.hamilton.ca/CityDepartmen...ent/Tivoli.htm

doesn't expropriation have to be for specific purposes? Like planned stadiums? :(

I'd also think the expropriation rate would be market value, not the price the ballet company got it at, which seemed like a charitable donation.

Yeah, digging into it, it gets muddier. The city definitely got soaked, but not by the ballerinas. To be fair, the CBC story doesn't offer much detail on Hamilton's contributions and considerations. It also fudges the purchase date: Canadian Ballet Youth Ensemble acquired it for $1 in August 2006(not 2004), and FWIW the ballet company also issued a $550K charitable tax receipt to the Snidermans.

The building was reportedly tax-exempt from 2001-2006, and the City had apparently been in negotiations with the Snidermans to repair and preserve the Tiv prior to the partial cave-in. From CATCH, August 2004: "We were in discussions and the Sniderman family were asking for well in excess of $2 million in a tax receipt for a building that was assessed at $500,000." The city had apparently been angling for the same kind of charitable deal that the CYBE got.

In 2005, the City settled a dispute with the family over the outstanding $500K+ bill for emergency shoring and demolition costs related to the June 29, 2004 south wall collapse that led to the oldest part of the building -- the 1874 carriage factory and the 1908 lobby, not the 1924 theatre -- being later razed by the City in the fall of 2004. The theatre apparently has provincial heritage status.