Proctor, who had already built and operated several successful vaudeville theaters in
Albany and
New York City hired Arland Johnson to design the theater, hoping to make it his grandest project since entering the business nearly three decades before. It cost $325,000 to construct, and when it opened in 1914 it became the largest theater in the state and was praised as "a structure ranking foremost in American theatrical circles." In March 1922, a group of RPI students re-established the RPI Nights as a weekly act at Proctor's Theater. After a successful opening night, as described in
The Polytechnic, the “Campus Five” was established. The group featured five RPI students and was led by Mark Albert “Pete” Gerwig. Their repertoire included musical performances on the banjo, saxophone, violin, and included clog dancing, folk singing, jazz, and more. While the Campus Five had its origins at Proctor's Theater, the group performed at a range of RPI-hosted events, including dances, events, and dinners for various organizations on and off campus. The RPI Nights performances were very well attended by the public. At one point,
The Polytechnic stated "Tute nights are a great success. The size of the audience that attended the first performance was the largest ever assembled in the history of Proctor’s; according to the Manager Emde." After “Pete” Gerwig and the RPI Five graduated from RPI, it is unclear whether Rensselaer students continued to perform at Proctor's Theater as the Campus Five. In later years, RPI hosted events and acts at Proctor's Theater. In the 1970s, the Rensselaer Concert Board hosted several musical and entertainment acts for the RPI community. In October 1975, the Rensselaer Concert Board presented in concert folk-rock groups
Poco and
McKendree Spring at Proctors. This event was organized by RPI's Union Programs and Activities Committee (UPAC). UPAC also hosted the comedy radio show
National Lampoon Radio Hour in 1975 at Proctor's Theater. RPI purchased Proctor's Theater in 2004.
Redevelopment proposal In the early 2000s, RPI acquired the building and hoped to partially use it as office space and keep the theater. They eventually brought in a developer who proposed to use a state grant to gut the building's interior and replace the auditorium with office space, while keeping the facade. Residents organized a group and
online petition in opposition to this, pointing to how successful the
restoration of the
Schenectady Proctor's had been for that city. The building was structurally sound, and could easily be restored to its original purpose. Proponents of the plan responded that the theater had not been successfully redeveloped in the years since it had closed and it was time to try something else to revitalize a block of downtown Troy that remained dilapidated. They noted that the Schenectady Proctor's still lost money and that the project would create jobs the city needed in a slow economy.
Restore NY grant As of March, 2011, the theatre is expected to receive $3.3 million from a "Restore NY" grant. The money would be used by Columbia Development to rehabilitate the theatre building and two adjacent office buildings, including the Chasan Building, which is also owned by RPI. In October 2011 it was announced that, in a $14.4 million public-private project including a $3.3 million Restore New York grant, Columbia Development Companies would acquire Proctor's Theater and launch a restoration. ==See also==