I've been following the Waco Trib's coverage of the plans to renovate, expand and reopen the Hippodrome. It's good news. The Hippodrome is a constant source of curiosity when people discus possibilities for downtown. It's one of our historic places and we don't want to let it slip away.
So the latest is that a group called Waco Hippodrome Inc., headed by brothers Shane and Cody Turner of Kunkel Construction, are working on a deal to buy the Hippodrome from Waco Performaing Arts Co. To that end, the area's Tax Increment Financing board recommended subsidizing 20 percent of the proposed $2.1 million project, according to the Trib's report. And part of the deal is that the Waco Performaing Arts Co., a nonprofit organization that couldn't afford to keep the historic-but-faltering structure open, would be able to lease the renovated Hippodrome for 15 nights a year.
Those are the terms that have been made public so far. I attempted to get a few more details, but was told it would be late-January before plans were more clearly defined and the people involved were ready to talk more about it.
Here's why I'm going to stay after this story: the suggestion is that the new Hippodrome is going to include an adjacent restaurant and be a dine-in theater. In other words, you would be able to sit in the balcony and enjoy a burger, fries and a beverage while watching a movie.
Of course, there are still plenty of interesting questions out there. Will the theater show first-run movies? Will there be special events similar to Alamo Drafthouse's Master Pancake theater? What will the restaurant menu look like?
And, obviously, when will it open?
This is one of those stories that's going to take a while to unfold. But we're going to stay after it, and I'm sure the same can be said for the Waco Trib.
It's also part of the larger picture of a fast-approaching new era for downtown Waco. Along with the football stadium going up just across the interstate and the river, the shape of things is already changing with a new hotel, old buildings disappearing, new businesses on the way and whole lot of imagination of how things could look downtown in coming years.
To be honest, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it. Developing a clearer picture of what it will look like is just one of the exciting challenges ahead of us in 2013.
