Count Basie exterior gets a face-lift

The Count Basie Theatre and adjacent buildings are shrouded in scaffolding during restoration work on their façades. ERIC SUCAR staff RED BANK — The Count Basie Theatre is once again undergoing a major renovation, this time to the exterior of its building at 99 Monmouth St.

This spring, renovations to the theater’s exterior began. An all-new, historical-looking façade will replace the faded and structurally impaired pink brick front. Additionally, a refurbished theater marquee with energy-efficient lighting, and new energy-efficient windows will be included in the project.

“This is not only an aesthetics issue, but a structural one,” said Chief Executive Officer Numa Saisselin during an interview on Aug. 31. “Our architects and engineers have advised us that the façade work is necessary for the structural integrity of the building, and that the work should be done now. Let’s face it, the building needs more work.”

A rendering of the restored façades of the Count Basie Theatre and adjacent buildings with decorative historical detail. All four sides of the exterior are being worked on, and all of the windows are being replaced, but special attention is being paid to the northern facade, which is the side of the building facing Monmouth Street.

“Being the side of the building that faces the street, it helps to create our public identity,” Saisselin said. “This side of the building has all the decorative architectural features and is receiving the most attention.”

Saisselin explained that the exterior renovation is phase four in the theater’s 10-step master plan.

“We’re doing this phase now because our architects advised that this was the piece of the building in most need of attention,” said Saisselin. “We’d rather get it fixed before we have a problem. More than anything else, this illustrates the growth of the Basie as an organization over the last 10 years; we’re now addressing problems before they actually become problems.”

Rusty Young, CEO of Count Basie Theatre Foundation, said the timing for the project is good.

“The timing is right to move forward with this much-needed project,” said Young in a statement. “Let’s face it; even in this economy it makes good business sense, because we are able to negotiate better deals with subcontractors. It is good stewardship of donor money.”

Saisselin reports that the cost for the exterior work will be approximately $2 million. The entire master plan will cost about $20 million.

“When this phase is done, we will have spent $12 million on the building over the last seven years, so in terms of dollars, we’re more than halfway to the end,” said Saisselin.

Saisselin explained that the exterior renovations are being funded in part out of the Basie’s pocket, using funds already raised, and in part by new funds currently being raised.

The current campaign is called “Let’s Face It.” It includes a $50,000 gift from the N.J. Cultural Trust.

“Additional donations are always welcome— 732-224-8778, operators are standing by. That sounds funnier if you use the late-night TV announcer voice,” joked Saisselin.

Scaffolding is erected along the front and sides of the building, but unlike the 2008 renovation, the Basie will remain open for business during the entire time the work is being done. The entrances and sidewalks are accessible to the public and will be protected by the safety scaffolding.

Since phase four began onMarch 15, Saisselin said, there have only been two surprises.

“The northeastern corner of the building was in much worse shape than anyone realized. It’s sustained a lot of weather damage over 80 years without proper repairs, and in layman’s terms, this whole corner of the building had to be rebuilt,” said Saisselin. “It cost an extra $25,000 we hadn’t planned on, but that’s well within the contingency fund built into the project budget, so we’re still on budget. For the moment, under budget, actually.

Saisselin thanked the team of architects from Farewell Mills Gatsch of Princeton, who did the theater’s interior renovations in 2008. He also credited Ed Mislavsky, project manager, from The Ferma Group in Eatontown, and the general contractor, Blade Contracting from Staten Island, N.Y.

“The project itself has gone very well,” said Saisselin. “They’re all very experienced.”

However, the project has not been without its share of problems. Saisselin said there have been some unexpected quality control issues in the manufacturing of the synthetic stone that will replace the old terra cotta stone.

“This has resulted in stone of very different colors being delivered, which obviously would be unacceptable,” said Saisselin. “We’re restoring a theater, not a zebra. We know there’s a problem and so does the manufacturer, and they’ve been terrific about addressing our concerns.”

The theater project, which was slated for a mid- to late-September finish, will likely conclude in mid-November, due to the issue of the stone color, Saisselin said.

“We’d rather get this right the first time,” said Saisselin. “In 80 more years, nobody is going to remember that we finished this project a few weeks late, but they will know if we did a good job or not, and we want to get this right the first time, even if it takes a few extra weeks. That’s not going to cost us anything but time.”

According to Saisselin, the Basie brings 200,000 people to the borough annually. Its economic impact is $11 million per year, and the theater accounts for approximately 300 jobs. Ticket sales cover only 50 percent of the annual cost to operate the theater, he said.

This renovation is funded in part by the New Jersey Cultural Trust with project assistance by the New Jersey Historic Trust.

Last December the theater was added to the National Registry of Historic Places, the official list of the nation’s historic places worthy of preservation.

In 2004 the theater underwent renovations, and its 1,400 seats were replaced with 1,543 historically accurate seats, which returned the theater to its original seating configuration.

The theater reopened Oct. 30, 2008, after completion of renovations that included decorative painting; new carpeting in the theater, upper lobby and lower lobby; heating, ventilation and air-conditioning work; new chandeliers, and new lighting equipment.