Rochester Broadway Theatre League acquires entire Auditorium Center

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Boardway Theatre League announced on Tuesday that it’s buying the entire Auditorium Center building.

RBTL has owned the Auditorium Theatre portion of the building at East Main Street and Prince Street since 2004. Now, the theatre non-profit has entered a contract to buy the entire building, which they will restore and renovate beginning in the summer.

The aim is to complete the renovations by 2030, which will be the building’s 100th year anniversary, said Arnie Rothschild, CEO and Board Chair of RBTL. Buying the building has been a decades-long goal.

Rothschild said the RBTL aims to close the contract quickly to move forward with the renovations. Some of the renovations will include installing a brand-new elevator, developing new spaces for corporate entertaining, and improving practice spaces for performers.

“We we will make this an absolute jewel in our community,” he said.

Rothschild said that, with the upgrades, traveling broadway performances will be able to stay in Rochester for longer.

The announcement comes as RBTL works on a nearly $1 million upgrade to the sound system in the theatre. You can see the full conference here: