“THIS PLACE MATTERS” WRAP-UP: VARIETY THEATRE

Written by Sarah Buckholtz

On June 7th, 2017 Mike Wolfe traveled to Cleveland, Ohio where he visited the winners of his “This Place Matters” contest, the Historic Variety Theatre.

In partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the “This Place Matters” campaign invited Mike’s friends, fans and followers across the country to submit photos of buildings significant to them and their communities and in need of life-saving repair and restoration. The campaign generated a wide and enthusiastic response, with submissions ranging from old private homesteads to dilapidated public spaces, and after careful consideration of the many #placestosave, the Variety Theatre was chosen to win a visit from Mike.

Variety Theatre Cleveland, Ohio. All photos by Ruggero Fatic

Mike was welcomed to Cleveland by an enthusiastic crowd and a group of city officials who took him on a private tour of the theater and the city block-sized complex that will soon house restaurants, retail spaces, and offices. Shortly after, he spoke for about 10 minutes to the crowd and to his millions of followers through LIVE videos and photos, expressing his appreciation for the community’s support for the ongoing project. he also talked about his own passion for preserving America’s history and the buildings that tell the stories.

“Heritage tourism is one of the important things we can all lean into nowadays. This isn’t just a project for the neighborhood. It’s a project for the entire city of Cleveland,” he said. “When you walk into an old building like the Variety Theatre it’s something that never leaves you. You become a child all over again. You want to touch and explore everything. There’s so much of that wonder here. That experience is going to be had again thanks to the heartfelt commitment of this community.”

Mike Wolfe speaks outside the Variety Theatre

As a thank you, the Variety Theatre board named him the honorary chairman for the capital campaign to raise the remaining amount needed for the eight-figure restoration of the early 1900s theater.

“No one has ever given up on this theater,” said Mike. “You have one or two people who truly believed in this and everyone around them said ‘ I want to be a part of that.’ That’s what ‘This Place Matters’ was about and that’s why this place matters.”

The Variety Theatre’s anticipated completion date is 2019.