MOUNT VERNON — The Woodward Opera House transformation has been a long time coming and details are being released as the opening day of April 2018 gets closer.
A farm to table cafe will be located in the space previously occupied by Sips. Woodward spokesperson Justin Bauer says the cafe will offer sandwiches, soups, wraps, coffee and tea all made from items at the Harvest at the Woodward store. The Opera House will also feature a 500-seat theater, a black box theater, recital hall, board room, and several other versatile meeting spaces. Additionally, the space will host the Vernon P. Johnson art gallery, Stein’s Brewing Company, leasable office space and the Woodward Community Kitchen.
A new logo for the Woodward has been developed by Bauer and local graphic artist Carrie Haver of Black Cat Creative.
Tours of the Woodward will be available during the annual Christmas Walk and Parade November 26 from 1 to 4 p.m.
Interested parties will be escorted to the Opera House theater by guides in groups of 20 or 25 persons. Visitors will have an opportunity to see the progress of the project and watch a brief video about it.
Guests wishing to attend the tour should be reminded that the area is an active construction site and they will be required to walk up and down three flights of stairs. Additionally, the area is not currently suitable for children under four feet tall for safety purposes.
According to their website, The Woodward Development Corporation (WDC), a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, owns the Woodward property and neighboring Annex building. As a 501(c)(3) organization with no stockholder owners, the Woodward really belongs to the entire community.
The WDC Board of Trustees that manages the day-to-day operations of the facility is made up of community leaders in business, civic sectors, and the arts.
