Rochester Today – Update on Chateau Theater (VIDEO)

Rochester Mayor Ardell Brede was excited to share some news concerning the Chateau Theater Tuesday morning during his monthly visit to the KROC-AM studio for the Rochester Today show with Andy Brownell.

Brede has been working to learn more about how the City of Minneapolis renovated and manages four historic theaters, including the Orpheum and State Theaters.

On Monday, the mayor joined two officials from the Hennepin Historic Theater Trust as they toured the Chateau, and he says they were excited about what they saw. Brede says both described the nearly 90 year old building as a "gem" and found the condition of the Chateau Theater to be far better than they anticipated. In fact, one of the officials was expecting that restoring the Chateau would cost at least $10 million, but now believes it will be far less.

Mayor Brede says he considers the men to be experts because of their involvement in running and restoring the historic theaters in Minneapolis.

Brede also reported that some repairs to the Chateau Theater have already been made. He says much of the interior has been cleaned and some of the building's lighting has been repaired, including the lights on the building's landmark marquee.