Photography by Aaron Bunse
Opening a theater in 1913 featuring German-speaking plays would be a classic case of bad timing. Deutschland went to war with the world the following year, and the Victoria Theater went dark. It reopened as the Liberty after the war, and in 1950, it was renamed the Sun. But by 1972, the theater had shuttered once again and had fallen into disrepair. Over the years, water poured inside. Trees sprouted on the roof. Vandals defaced the building. “It was a bombed-out shelter,” recalls Aaron Bunse of the Lawrence Group.
Finally, in 2010, the architecture firm bought the theater. As lead architect and project manager, Bunse ushered in an $11 million makeover, transforming the theater into an ideal space for Grand Center Arts Academy. Today, glimmers of the building’s former glory shine throughout, with marble floors and staircases in the lobby, ornate plasterwork on the ceilings, and arched windows overlooking the street. Nearly everything had to be rebuilt—but not every detail was replicated.
“When we deal with historical buildings,” Bunse says, “there has to be a line between where it is a historical restoration and where it is not economically feasible.” Nonetheless, the redone space is a stunner.
3625 Grandel
Midtown
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