The Wealthy Theater project restored a heavily deteriorated historic neighborhood movie theatre and converted it to serve as a multi-functional live stage/movie venue.

While the street facade was mostly intact, the interior had suffered major water damage. Most of the lobby floor collapsed into the basement shortly after the developer purchased the site.  Ongoing water leaking at barrel vault gutters destroyed plaster wall features.

The original theatre footprint "shoebox" had no space for bathrooms and other accessory spaces. The projection booth would not accommodate live stage equipment and was not accessible. The stage was only 9' deep; not suitable for live productions.

SEED, the developer, had a mission to revitalize and renovate not only the theatre but also the Wealthy Street Corridor. Using historic preservation as a strategy to strengthen the commercial district, the Theatre became a key piece to the puzzle.

Early on, the architect advised SEED early on to purchase the building west of the Theatre and to incorporate this storefront into the project. The final design restored the historic two-story frame storefront and renovates the interior of this building for bathrooms, offices, vertical circulation, and stage access.

The project team included Quinn Evans/ Architects as the preservation consultant. Under Quinn Evans' guidance the theatre interiors and lobby were restored to their original condition. Plaster features and broken tile ceramic floor patterns were restored and replicated from originals. Local Grand Rapids artisans and contractors were recruited for this unique work.

The Wealthy stage proscenium was moved north one bay to provide more stage depth. The booth was moved south one bay to provide more room and to raise the booth floor to align with the adjacent building. The overall design change retained the symmetry of the existing ceiling clouds while providing for these new functions.