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- Gilbane Rescontruction Services at Wortham Theater Center, pumping conditioned clean air into the building to dry out and stabilize the environment (post-Harvey) (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Houston First)
- Brown Theater, Wortham Theater Center (post-Harvey) (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Houston First)
- Basement lockers, Wortham Theater Center (post-Harvey) (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Houston First)
- Basement elevators, Wortham Theater Center (post-Harvey) (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Houston First)
The Wortham Theater Center will take longer to repair than originally thought and will be out of commission for most, if not all, of this performing arts season.
During Harvey, the basement, as well as the tunnel that connects the building to the Theater District Parking Garage, flooded. Water also reached both the Cullen and Brown Theaters. Although the building does not appear to have suffered any structural damage, there was extensive damage to at least one-third of its 60 air handling units and to the elevators. A complete evaluation of the critical building systems should be finished in two to three weeks.
Houston First, which manages the theater district, says that reopening by May 15th is a best-case scenario. Houston Grand Opera and Houston Ballet, and several other arts groups that call Wortham home, will perform at other venues for the 2017-18 season.
A Harvey Relief fund has been set up to help Houston theater district arts groups, and you can learn more here.
