Geva/Dutton Merkel Donohue Press Conference

Sometimes when a door closes, a window opens. In this case, it’s Nikko, the only restaurant close to Geva, which closed. But a whole building is going to open up nearby next spring/summer, when the 45-year home to Merkel Donohue is repurposed as “Woodbury Place,” a mix of residential and retail spaces. The first phase will include 17 loft-style apartments, 11 of which have been leased to Geva to house their non-resident actors. Three of the remaining six have already been rented, lack of detailed plans notwithstanding! 

At the press conference Tuesday morning, Mayor Lovely Warren kicked things off, remarking enthusiastically about this project being evidence of a “city that’s coming back.” She introduced County Supervisor Maggie Brooks, from “across the aisle,” who thanked Geva and Dutton & Company for their visionary re-imagining of the building, and Geva for being “a treasure in the community.” Apparently, Geva is the most attended professional theatre in the northeast outside of New York City, having served over 4 million residents and tourists and generated over $200 million in economic benefits. Brooks applauded the relocation of the actors from their current apartments in Gates to this “gateway neighborhood to the city,” a move that will allow them to “become a part of our community” as well as be a draw for future talent.

State Senators Ted O’Brien and Joseph Robach took their turns at the podium before Tom Parrish, Geva’s Executive Director, stepped up to formally announce the 10-year lease. Actors in Geva’s shows are typically here for 9 weeks, between rehearsals and performances, and since rehearsals for one show overlap performances of another, the apartments will be booked solid. After alluding to a gift registry and housewarming that will be announced later to furnish the apartments, he introduced Patrick Noonan, one of the equity actors who has performed at Geva over the years and who had input into the apartments' design. He joked that although he recently relocated to Rochester, he might move away for a bit, just to get to stay in the new apartments. He added that “actors will now have no reason to be late to rehearsals.”

So the “downtown renaissance” continues. Maybe Charlie Fitzsimmons (Black & Blue, TRATA, JoJo’s, etc.) would consider expanding into this neighborhood?!