Wilson Center Auditorium

13/06/2025

The latest information, with our thanks to Fox 47's neighborhood reporter Claire Bacarella.

The Wilson Center project has been ongoing in St. Johns for years now. It's a development that would bring new apartments for neighbors as well as community spaces.

10/05/2025

As it sets now, Wilson Center Auditorium reopening will be early 2026, according to City of St Johns projections.

We will continue to keep you updated.

13/01/2025

It has been about six months since our last post about renovation work on the Wilson Center. To establish some context, this Fox-47 report from last September contains an interview with St. Johns Mayor Scott Dzurka.

In December, City Manager Chad Gamble met with Tom Webb and Darryl Schmitz, representatives from the Wilson Center Auditorium and Homegrown Productions community theater group, to provide more information.

As Mayor Dzurka had indicated in September, the historic building tax credits and grants are an important factor, and although the wheels of the application and approval process are moving slowly, they are progressing.

City Manager Gamble updated that the City has set a goal of reopening the gymnasium and the auditorium by Spring of 2026 with modest but thoroughly-planned and fully completed improvements. The integrity of the stage curtain is being studied for possible replacement, and the outer board covering the tall windows in the front of the building along the auditorium north wall may be removed to restore the historic appearance of the building in much the same way the State Capitol in Lansing was returned to its historic appearance by removing many years' worth of cheap dividers, conduit and suspended ceiling that had spoiled the original beauty of that building.

The City would also like to make the auditorium balcony usable again and safely accessible. A study is being done to determine the best way to make the rather steep staircases safer with handrails and softer covering, to make the second floor doorway more safely accessible, to repair and restore the balcony seating, and to add short barrier walls around the sound and lighting control desk.

The process is not as swift as all of us would like, of course, but it is moving forward cost-consciously and the planning work is being done to make the best use of tax credits and grants.

After concerned neighbors felt that nothing was advancing with the Wilson Center project, I got some answers from the city.

30/06/2024

Just a quick update on the status of the Wilson Center and auditorium.

The City of St. Johns is currently working with the developer, Dymaxion, to obtain federal historic building tax credits for work on the building. This will impact the building development schedule as the approvals necessary are issued, so more than likely the grand reopening of the auditorium will be, at the earliest, in late 2024. The exact date will not be known until the fall or early winter.

The singing group Singers on the Grand, who had been opening its seasons' performances at the Wilson Center Auditorium, had moved its 2023-24 season-opening concert to the St. Johns Middle School last November because the Wilson Center was not available. They are now planning to delay the upcoming season's opening concert until March of 2025 to increase the possibility of opening at the Wilson Center Auditorium. If by late 2024 the auditorium's availability is uncertain, their plans are to have that concert either at the St. Johns Middle School again or at the high school auditorium.

30/03/2024

We will do our best to keep you up to date on the progress of renovations at the Wilson Center.

Thank you for continuing to follow our page!

11/01/2024

After several months of City commission meetings and public input, the Wilson Center renovation project is beginning to move forward again.

The City has scaled back its plans and is no longer planning to relocate city offices there, but it is still acquiring the auditorium and gymnasium for community entertainment and recreation. A small amount of space was also purchased for concessions for these two facilities.

We are eager to be able to get back into the auditorium when Dymaxion's construction is far enough along that it is safe for use. Estimates are that that won't be until late 2024 or early 2025.

We will continue to post to this page as updates become available.