Sneak Peek: New Bedford’s Zeiterion Readies for Next 100 Years

NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — As New Bedford’s Zeiterion Performing Arts Center enters the home stretch of its $37 million renovation, I’m here to tell you it was money well spent.

The media was given a tour of the “Z” on Monday, August 25, which will be the last time anyone other than its staff and those working on the building gets to see inside until the renovations are complete. The project is expected to finish by the end of this year, with a reopening scheduled for January 2026..

The thing I walked away from our 90 or so minutes spent inside is that unlike the building’s previous century or so, there is no more wasted space – or wasted opportunities – at the Zeiterion.

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The Zeiterion Will Go Beyond Just Show Nights

It will no longer just be a destination on show nights; there are spaces that can be utilized anytime, from “The Speakeasy” being constructed in the basement to the Movement Studio on the third floor, and everywhere in between.

READ MORE: New Bedford's Zeiterion Breaks Ground on Renovation Project

Staff members during the tour repeatedly referenced how this renovation has “the next 100 years” of the Zeiterion in mind, and that means its future not only as just a theater, but as a true performing arts center that is the entertainment and education hub for the arts community in New Bedford and beyond.

“We’re excited for what this does for our mission and for our business model,” Vice President of Strategic Advancement Nicole Downing Merusi said while standing in the Movement Studio.

READ MORE: New Bedford May Rename Street for Armand Marchand

The mission is obvious, but for the record, it is described on the Zeiterion's website as being “to steward our historic theater as a gathering place for performing arts experiences where learning, connection, and creative expression thrive.”

The business model, on the other hand, had been effectively limited by the facility itself for decades.

A Century of Change at the Zeiterion

The building originally opened in 1923 as a vaudeville theater on the Shubert Circuit, bringing in one of the biggest stars of the day in Georgie Jessel, but soon flipped to being a movie house.

That was the case for many vaudeville theaters, after "talkies" became all the rage in the movie business following the release of The Jazz Singer in 1927.

READ MORE: New Bedford's Zeiterion at 100: What Was the Very First Show?

Other businesses also took over parts of the Zeiterion building over the years, and other parts of it went unused, which led to a number of empty and “derelict” spaces throughout, a word used frequently by Zeiterion President and CEO Rosemary Gill throughout Monday’s tour.

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How the Renovation Reclaims Unused Space

Now, though, those spaces have been reclaimed into not only learning and creative spots, but also opportunities for additional revenue for the Zeiterion.

Take, for example, “The Speakeasy.” The basement bar will have a “found space” feel, according to Gill, and will be “gritty, unlike the rest of the building.” On show nights, it will serve as additional space for a capacity of 60 to 80 patrons to grab a drink, but could also have other programming happening independent of what’s going on upstairs. In addition, it can be rented out for private functions.

The Movement Studio also represents an opportunity for revenue, not only from the organizations that will regularly utilize the space, but also for community members looking for a place to teach their own yoga or dance class. It can also be a rehearsal space for dance schools, theater groups and more.

Even the new, larger lobby space means more patrons can wait inside the theater on a show night, as opposed to standing out on Purchase Street, which means more chances for the Z to sell them a drink or a concession before the show. A new members-only lounge also gives the Z a chance to bring back memberships for additional revenue.

READ MORE: An Inside Look at the Early Stages of the Zeiterion's Renovation

Oh, and perhaps the most important part for anyone attending the Zeiterion in any capacity – plenty of new bathrooms! Plus a new digital marquee will soon be installed as well on the building's exterior, announcing its shows to Purchase Street and the downtown area.

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Preserving History While Building the Future

Since the Zeiterion was using both federal and state historic tax credits for this renovation, the requirements were very specific, and the guidelines very strict. You will see a mixture of the old and the new; those requirements mean any new spaces cannot intentionally look original to the building. Yet after walking through the building, I think the Z and the team working on the renovations have absolutely nailed how it will look for those next 100 years while still paying tribute to its first 100.

Photo Tour: The Zeiterion’s Transformation

Let’s take a photo tour of the renovations and restorations, and then keep scrolling to see how the Z looked just a few months ago and then how it looked before the project began.