A permit was granted Tuesday for construction to begin on the $15.8 million renovation of the Raising Cane’s River Center Theatre.
A preconstruction meeting is set for this week, says lead architect Lisa Nice, who anticipates construction and demolition activities to kick off next week.
The Metro Council approved the multimillion-dollar overhaul of the 40-year-old theater last April, setting an $18 million budget for the project, and the city began accepting general contractor bids in late 2018. After all the bids came over budget, the city-parish scrapped the proposals and rebid the project in July.
Some $2.2 million was able to be cut from the project’s budget through the second round of bids, with Baton Rouge-based Buquet and LeBlanc Inc. securing the $15.8 million contract in August.
Nice says certain components of the original plans did not get into the new bid because of cost constraints, but that a majority of what was planned is still set to be accomplished.
Contractors are reducing the number of seats in the theatre from 2,000 to roughly 1,750 to add larger seats and additional access isles. Two ADA-compliant elevators will also be added to the facility.
Another notable portion of the project is the expansion of the lobby. While the theatre could hold 2,000 people, the lobby held significantly less.
“We are revamping the entire facility to improve the patron experience from start to finish,” Nice says, adding the renovation is the first major update to the theatre since its initial construction. “Larger concessions, more restrooms for women—we’re touching every surface in the building.”
Nice expects the project to be completed in the first quarter of 2021.
