Q&A: Executive behind redevelopment of Worcester Auditorium is more optimistic than ever

The Worcester Memorial Auditorium, colloquially known as the Aud, has sat vacant for the past 25 years. Built in 1933 in Worcester’s Lincoln Square, the stately building that once served as a lively entertainment hub and memorial to those lost during World War I has since deteriorated.

That may not be for much longer, as Architectural Heritage Foundation, a Brighton-based nonprofit working to restore historic properties, has taken on the heavy lift of redeveloping the space into a multipurpose entertainment facility and AI innovation center. As 2024 comes to a close, Jake Sanders, project executive at AHF, sees a fresh start for the Aud on the horizon.

How did the vision to redevelop the Aud come about?

A man with blonde hair and a blonde beard wears a pink polo shirt in front of a garden.

Jake Sanders, project executive at Architectural Heritage Foundation

We’re going back to the future. Prior to the DCU Center, the Aud was where all the key moments happened in the city: graduations, Bob Cousy’s basketball games at the College of the Holy Cross, Bob Dylan and the The Rolling Stones performed there. Because of the way the building is laid out, it doesn't really lend itself to anything besides an entertainment complex with some ancillary uses to help support the main stage acts. That's really where it derived from, making it a hub of entertainment once again.

What is the biggest challenge in transforming such an historic building?

Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits are a big piece of the puzzle there. It's a program overseen by the National Park Service, and the purpose of them is to maintain historical assets basically in their current conditions. So part of the HRT program is we restore a lot of the existing spaces as they were, and it's a little bit of a dance.

For example, the balcony seats in the main auditorium are very old. People were smaller, and the seats are not to code anymore. So do those seats need to be maintained, or can we replace those seats with a more modern seat? Or do we need to replace it with a more modern seat that looks like the original seating? That's the kind of back and forth that goes on with historic preservation.

Are there any features AHF is planning on adding?

Although the building is 165,000 square feet, we still need to put an addition on the building. One of the biggest issues forever with the building is its lack of accessibility. There are more stairs in that building than just about any building I've ever been in. If you're a veteran in a wheelchair and would like to visit the war memorial, you are currently not able to. So the addition would be where we'd have elevators, a more contemporary entrance to access the different areas of the building.

The Aud is split into five sections: the auditorium, the lobby, the World War I memorial, the little theater, and the basement. How will you use each space?

The auditorium would be an entertainment center.

The lobby and the war memorial, they really would not change much. They're both these beautifully historic, well-preserved spaces we could use for functions and weddings, but also more passive space: pre-event receptions and concessions. The war memorial in particular, we can see using for corporate events, weddings, and some form of light food and beverage.

A list of costs to renovate the Worcester Memorial Auditorium

A Worcester Memorial Auditorium chart

The little theater would be used for just that. Ongoing conversations about potential users are still pretty preliminary. There is a demand for that type of space to have small movie screenings, lectures, and TED Talks.

The basement, with its large square footage, could be just about anything that doesn't need natural light: lab space, computer labs, where the food service would be in terms of having a more commercial kitchen.

Why has the Aud been left vacant for so long?

It's a very difficult building. It's enormous, it doesn't have a ton of parking. What’s always been the problem and why it hasn't been renovated previously is the operating costs are so great. The building didn't support itself, so it needs to be subsidized annually. That's how you get into a situation where capital costs and the long-term efficacy of the building aren't sustainable.

How does AHF plan to address those ongoing costs?

We have found a pro forma on the operating side for the building to sustain itself without having to constantly go back to the philanthropic community for support, but we do need to find this whole other bucket of revenue to support the debt service.

There's definitely going to need to be some form of public subsidy and then a considerable philanthropic effort, as well as tenants to pay a lease. Basically, it needs multiple uses happening simultaneously to generate enough revenue to support the ongoing operations and the debt service.

What are the sources of fundraising for the redevelopment?

The biggest pot of funding is from the HTC program, which is worth 20% of the overall capital costs. The City of Worcester and the capital budget this year did include some funding for the roof replacement. AHF is in it for about $2.5 million. AHF has been involved in this now for close to seven years, and I've been involved personally for three. So part of the effort is to chip away at the overall costs in these early days while we secure the rest of the funding necessary.

What step are you at in the redevelopment process?

We’re still pre-development. We’re right around 25% design drawings, which is the level of drawings you need to put in for your approvals on historic tax credits. If those requests are approved, we will move forward pretty quickly after that. Maybe by 2026, we can break ground.

I'm more optimistic right now than I've been at any point in this project.

This interview was conducted and edited for length and clarity by WBJ Staff Writer Mica Kanner-Mascolo.