Old Newseum in Arlington Poised To Host Cultural Groups for Free
By Kirstin Downey
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Cultural groups throughout the region are lining up for a new kind of casting call, hoping to be chosen by Arlington County to play a leading part in the county's transformation from a suburban bedroom community to an artistic mecca.
Arlington County recently finalized a deal with a Rosslyn developer that will allow it to offer the former Newseum rent-free for 10 years, presenting arts organizations with the prospect of getting a world-class performance space.
Many groups have expressed interest. The prestigious Corcoran Gallery of Art in the District has sought the county's permission to use the 45,000-square-foot space for exhibits and educational programs, and two innovative theater troupes are among the local groups vying for a shot at the property as well.
The theater groups see the Newseum space, a former exhibit hall and news museum, as an economic lifeline. Both organizations are located in temporary quarters, and they need new homes. Officials from both groups say the former Newseum, whose location near the Rosslyn Metro station offers easy access for performers and theater-goers, is very appealing.
The Clark Street facility in Crystal City that serves as home for the Washington Shakespeare Company is slated for redevelopment in the near future. Monument Realty, which owns the site, is finalizing plans for the former warehouse. When the arrangements are complete, the theater will be given nine months to leave.
"We're kind of in limbo," said Christopher Henley, artistic director of the Washington Shakespeare Company. "This would be the perfect next step for us."
In addition, he said, "We'd bring people to Arlington, going to the restaurants, and doing all the economic things an arts complex does to a neighborhood. By all measures, it is an economic boon."
Meanwhile, the Shirlington black-box theater occupied by the children's production arm of the Classika-Synetic theaters has been told that its days at that location are numbered. Its landlord, Federal Realty Investment Trust, has shifted the group to a month-to-month lease in hopes of securing a more lucrative tenant. The Newseum space looks good to that group, too.
"We're definitely considering it as an option for us," said Yulia Kriskovets, Synetic's business director.
Officials at the Corcoran declined to comment, and the museum has not submitted a formal proposal. But county officials confirmed the museum's interest, although it is not clear how the Corcoran would use the Newseum facility. The museum would expand to 1101 Wilson Blvd. in Arlington, not relocate its main operations, which are near the White House, about two miles away.
Karen Vasquez, a spokeswoman for Arlington Economic Development, indicated that county officials would consider a Corcoran facility the kind of "world-class destination" they are seeking for the site.
On the other hand, Vasquez said, giving various groups shared access to the space would turn it into a kind of multipurpose arts center.
"There are a variety of uses and options that could fill the space," she said. "It's going to come down to what is the best fit."
The county's economic development department is still taking calls and considering proposals, Vasquez said. Applicants are being asked to submit plans on how they would use the space, including how often they would mount productions and what their operating hours would be. The county is seeking proposals that will serve residents and draw more visitors.
The next official action in the process will occur in March, when the county will sign the lease agreement with the Rosslyn developer, Monday Properties. That agreement would give the county use of the space in return for allowing the developer to construct a 30-story building on an adjacent parcel.
The sticking point for all of the groups, however, is that although the space will be offered for free, the chosen organizations will have to pay for the upkeep, including utility costs, Vasquez said. The Newseum, which vacated the space in 2002, spent about $500,000 a year in operating costs.
But the Rosslyn Business Improvement District might step in. Its board of directors is considering helping to defray the expenses for local arts groups, Executive Director Cecilia Cassidy said.
"We are very interested" in participating in the negotiations, Cassidy said. "The Newseum was given as a community benefit, and we want to make sure the community benefits. Arts groups have been clamoring for space for theater and for dance."
Cassidy said the availability of the building presents exciting cultural and economic possibilities for Rosslyn.
"It's an extraordinary opportunity to celebrate what Arlington has done in the arts," she said.
The Newseum, which was a museum of the news industry, was completed in 1997. It features open and enclosed spaces, with ceiling heights of up to 35 feet, that could be used for permanent displays or traveling exhibits. It contains a 220-seat dome theater, a 28-seat mini-theater and an area designed to accommodate a broadcast studio. Its terrace and sculpture garden offer spectacular views of downtown Washington.
County officials won't make the decision alone. The Arlington Commission for the Arts, a citizen group, is expected to play a key role in deciding who fills the space. It may not be easy to reach a consensus.
"Probably more have expressed interest than we can accommodate," said John Seal, chairman of the commission.
But Seal indicated that he is particularly interested in local theater groups that have few places to perform. He said such organizations need a home so they can focus on "building their audience."
That kind of talk encourages Henley and Kriskovets, and they are preparing their pitches. Both have reason to strut their stuff. Each theater presented productions that made the annual top 10 list of Washington Post critic Peter Marks, who heaped praise on the Washington Shakespeare Company's "Caligula" and Synetic's "Fall of the House of Usher."
The Washington Shakespeare Company may be based in Arlington, but its offerings seem anything but suburban. Its recent productions featured naked actors performing "Macbeth," which played to packed houses, and an iconoclastic interpretation of Shakespeare's "Richard II" inspired by the movie "A Clockwork Orange."
Synetic garnered critical acclaim for its production of "Romeo and Juliet," appearing now at the Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre. Its affiliated children's company, known as Classika, which operates out of Shirlington Village, would use the Newseum space. Its ongoing production of "The Bremen Musicians" has been a box-office success, with sold-out performances.
"Our productions bring people to Shirlington Village," Kriskovets said. But if Classika can't stay there, the group still wants to stay in Arlington.
"We're helping market Arlington as an arts destination," she said.
View all comments that have been posted about this article.