Teatro Carmen is a historic theatre in Downtown Tucson, where Latinos, African Americans and Chinese people once stood in the spotlight. Run down for years, it’s being revamped into an performance venue and community space.
The developer of the property at 380 S. Meyer Ave., Stratford Art Works, received several million dollars from Pima County to restore the landmark.
“It will be a public/private endeavor,” said Herb Stratford, a historic theater consultant, film director, co-founder and co-director of Film Fest Tucson, in an email to the Tucson Sentinel. “Pima County is providing about $3.2 million of a total of about $8.5 million for the project.”
Teatro Carmen was a hub for Spanish arts and culture and community. It opened on May 20, 1915, with a production of the play “Cerebro y Corazon” by Farias Isassi. From the 1930s to the 1980s, the building became the base for Elks-Pilgrim’s Rest Lodge #601 and a theater company led by Chicanos.
For Stratford, who helped lead the restoration of the Fox Tucson Theatre two decades ago, “seeing the transformation of the theater back to the original façade was a high point.”
“Also, recently finding a pair of 1919 theatre posters was a thrill,” Stratford said. “Unlike the Fox, there is very little historic record of the theatre’s past so it’s a fun detective project to piece together what has happened in the building’s past as we plan for the future.”
He said funding is also coming from other entities such as the city of Tucson, the State of Arizona, and “private foundations and individual donors.”
“The latest Pima County funding ($1 million) is for the roof replacement,” Stratford said.
Last year, Teatro Carmen launched a Façade Restoration Project and was completed in April, costing nearly $850,000.
The next course of action is replacing the roof, which will be done once the monsoon is over.
“Then we work on the 7,000-square-foot exterior patio space,” Stratford said. “The theatre will be the only 300-person capacity venue downtown and will host film, music, theatre and community events once it’s done. Its unique cultural history (Chinese, Mexican, and African American uses) is a critical part of Tucson’s history as well as Barrio Viejo history.”
Stratford said successfully restoring the space is the main goal. After, he hopes there will be events there year-long, “returning Tucson’s oldest performing arts venue to use.”
“I’m just excited to be able to return another iconic performing arts venue in Tucson to use,” Stratford said. “I work as a historic theatre consultant with clients in over 20 different states, so doing another project in my hometown is exciting. The history of the property, dating to the 1860s originally, is very rewarding.”
Teatro Carmen is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and “we are still looking to raise about 1/2 of the total project cost.” Stratford said that those who are interested in donating may visit TeatroCarmen.org for more information.