It’s been a whirlwind year for us at Art House Billings as we’ve had our first full year with the expansion at Art House Cinema & Pub, we’ve found an incredible new chef for our kitchen, and the Babcock continues to hum along with great classic films, events, and private parties. As my Norwegian grandfather would say “uff da!”
As we come to the end of another incredible year, we have some big plans we hope you can be a part of. As you know, Art House Billings has only been successful because so many step up and bring what they can so collectively we can bring more film, art, and culture to our community. It is in that spirit that we turn our attention to the Historic Babcock Theatre.
We re-opened the Babcock Theatre in the fall of 2018, and the past 6 years have been spent lighting the marquee regularly, showing 100’s of films, hosting many different kinds of events, and renting the theater for private screenings/events. Every step of the way we have continued to reinvest what we can into this Billings gem. The theater’s over 100 years old and as you can imagine there’s a lot of need there. We have a 10+ year vision and plan for what we’d like to do at the Babcock, but at this moment we have some glaring needs we must address. It is here we hope you can help.
FOR THE BABCOCK TO STAY FUNCTIONING PROPERLY THERE ARE 3 AREAS WE NEED TO ADDRESS:
SAFETY
With the age of the Babcock, there are many areas that are deteriorating or come from a different era of “safety”. We are currently addressing sidewalk safety through a $268,000 project we started in September. On top of that, there are some infrastructure issues with one of the staircases in the lobby, a degrading brick chimney that could cause bricks to fall in the alley, and serious safety concerns in the balcony as there are no handrails for support moving up or down the stairs to your seat. These issues have always been known, but as we host more events and see more people in the theater than ever before, we feel now is the time to act. We have to keep people safe!
SECURITY
The current exterior doors in use all around the theater are anywhere from 30-60 years old. They are not the most secure doors ever built and they are showing their age more and more. These doors offer very little if any weather insulation (which causes our utilities bill to always be a fun discovery every month!). The new doors we have have our eyes on will solve all of these problems and provide a much better customer experience for everyone using the theater.
THE MARQUEE We can’t talk about the Babcock without mentioning that iconic marquee. Over the years we’ve continued to invest thousands upon thousands of dollars to keep it lit, functioning, and as beautiful as possible. As you’ve most likely noticed, our beloved marquee is starting to show its age with water damage and general wear and tear. We’ve also hit the end of our letter supply and many times struggle to get the marquee to look exactly like we’d hoped as our letters have broken or got lost in the wind. We’d like to fix all of this (and more!).
THAT’S A LOT! However, we believe now is the time to move forward on this and we hope you can help us get there.
Because of some generous grants and other fundraising, we are hoping to raise only $90,000 by the end of the year. This will allow us to finish what we’ve started on these projects, and plan for 2025 to execute on all the rest. We know that $90,000 is nothing to laugh at and it is going to take all of us stepping up to get us there. As you plan for your year end giving, please consider us and do what you can. If you’d like to discuss any of the above items please reach out to us at contact@arthousebillings.com and we’ll get you connected with the right person for any questions or thoughts you might have.