Our office received the following, ahem, ambitious new plan for the restoration of El Torreon today.
Here it is, in its entirety, with certain phrases highlighted by us. By the way, you will not believe it.
Mother and Daughter to RestoreEl Torreon into Cultural Arts Center
KANSAS CITY – July 21, 2008. Jeanne Bojarski and her daughter, Alexandra Jeanne Bojarski-Stauffer, today reached an agreement with Nabil Haddad to purchase the El Torreon Ballroom at 31st and Gillham Plaza.
The mother-daughter team seek to restore the 1927-vintage ballroom to its days of glory in a “green” way that will benefit generations to come, both culturally and in energy savings.
Jeanne Bojarski is a consulting corporate marketing writer for TranSystems, who in turn are designing and managing the restoration project in a design/build effort with Charles Beard and architect Dominique Davison. Alexandra Bojarski-Stauffer is studying architecture and business at Tulane University.
The restoration will not only be historically accurate, but also feature 21st century energy innovations such as solar panels, wind turbines and a garden on the roof, a de-humidification system to make the air inside easier to heat and cool as well as geothermal wells drilled in the pre-restoration parking lots to reduce energy costs even more. The restoration team aims at LEED Platinum certification.
Follow the jump for a continuation of the Christmas-letter-styled press release.
In addition to their love of architecture, Jeanne and Alex bring to the project their love for music. Jeanne is a big jazz fan, having produced avant guard jazz at the Bowery’s Tin Palace (next door to CBGB) in New York City in the 70s and come to know many jazz greats of that and previous eras. Here in Kansas City, she is a partner in BeatOven LLC, a record label, recording studio, and concert production business that ran the El Torreon All Ages Club on the bottom floor of the building from fall 2006 to fall 2007.Alex plays piano, trumpet, and acoustic & electric guitars and loves all kinds of music – rap, hip hop, classical, rock, world, jazz, blues. She has been listening to music since she was a baby in a pack, being toted around by her mamacita to hear jazz in nearby restaurants. She is now in training with the Haddad family to run the downstairs El Torreon banquet facilities. In addition to the El Torreon History room, the venue will feature other commemorative and community “rooms” representing all ethnicities.
Jeanne and Alex are fans of cultural expressions of all kinds and flavors, and it was at Alex’ insistence that they are reviving the ballroom as a venue for new media and old arts (video events, fire dancing, art shows, symphony, cirque du soleil-type spectacles, ballet & modern dance, plays) as well as the traditional El Torreon and Cowtown Ballroom dancing, concerts and roller skating (OK, skate boarding and extreme sports allowed].
So what’s a mother to do? After all, Alice Cooper wants to play there for FREE.
PS. There is ABSOLUTELY NO DRESS CODE AT THIS FACILITY. COME AS YOU ARE. Pets also welcome.
Notes: Followers of local politics may have more longstanding memories of Jeanne Bojarski, but I first ran into her while working on this column about Beat Oven Records moving the live-venue branch of its shop to the Mission Theatre after stints at American Ice and El Torreon. As the release says, Bojarski is an investor in Beat Oven. In 1992, she was a U.S. Senate candidate on the Libertarian ticket.
In further developments, an August 10 concert is planned to benefit the restoration. Here are the details.
Help Restore the El Torreon
Sunday August 10 at 3 PM
$10 donation
First Concert in the re-opened downstairs EL TORREON
New Threat
Tripp Algiers
Wrestling with Wolves
Red Fox, Grey Fox
White Eyes: opened the Cowtown Ballroom’s first 1971 Concert
BE THERE OR BE SQUARE! Call 816 561-3596 for reservations*
*downstairs club admittance strictly regulated to 500 people, first come, first served
For the Benefit of El Torreon Historic Restoration
What, no Alice Cooper?
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Good Luck to Jeanne Bojarski and her daughter, Alexandra Jeanne Bojarski-Stauffer.. have a nice project.
Good Luck to Jeanne Bojarski and her daughter, Alexandra Jeanne Bojarski-Stauffer.. have a nice project.
I think sometimes the green aspect is taken too far. I am all for it if by going green they really are benefiting the environment. But sometimes I think people say they are green so they get pigeonholed into that exclusive group of like-minded people.
Hi Jameson.. you know as well as I do that "Big" Bands = "Big" profits is BS
I remember an Icehouse show with all the "biggest" bands in town and 4 audience members...
You can't predict shows...
The customers are always right is for sure... as soon as I find them I'll ask them what they do..
the truth of the music scene in this town is mostly,
bands bring a few friends from work, a few relatives, whatever, When these people get bored the band loses it's only audience..
there is little to know real "fan" base here, the fans are all watching American Idol...
And BTW
The El T is NOT us doing it, It is soloely Jeanne I agree Jeanne is way overboard on some ideas... she has an architect and hopefully the architect will keep things realistic...
John got Smiley's guitar...
Come to Korruption and say hi!!
Drew
Beazley, my thoughts as well.
Hi Tammy/Drew!
>>The "BeatOven Era" at El Torreon was run on a zero budget.
1.???
2.Big name bands play
3.PROFIT!
There's a hole with the formula. :)
>>Vedera.. unknown
False
>>6. Anyone out there who thinks they can do better..... stop bitching about what others are doing and open your own all ages venue (or record label)
*sigh it's the KC music scene. The customers are always right... right?
>>Hope you like eating bologna sandwiches .... and working 80 hr weeks.... oh, and did I mention no vacation?
Seriously, I think there's something wrong with your formula.
Hope the move went/is going well!
BTW, Smiley needs to get his guitar, hope you still have it. He should have picked it up a long time ago! :)
Just for the record, in response to several previous posts:
1. The "BeatOven people" are not reopening El Torreon. We are supportive of the daunting venture, and are glad to help when we can. Yes, some of it's a bit crazy.... perhaps the naysayers would prefer it just became a parking lot.
2. The major roof repairs have been completed already.... and FYI... the entire roof is not pitched, so a roof garden, though it may not prove to be practical, is at least possible.
3. The "BeatOven Era" at El Torreon was run on a zero budget. What little profit there was went back into equipment. I think we had some pretty amazing shows there... A Change Of Pace, Quiet Drive, BLITZ, Rock N Roll Soldiers, Vedera, and tons of unknown bands that few came to see because they just hadn't heard of them. Yeah, some of them sucked. But most of them didn't. A lot of bands playing around the city today got their first show there. The only reason we did not continue doing shows was the condition of the building at the time. (which was out of our control, since we were merely renting the space.)
4. No band EVER played 9 shows in 3 months there. Once a month was typically the max. I do recall one particular band who was booked three times in one month ONLY because they BEGGED to get shows with touring bands they wanted to do show trades with. (against my better judgement I agreed only on the condition that they assist in promoting the shows.... which they didn't.) Otherwise, these shows would not have been booked. Live and learn.
5. BeatOven Records never "sprung" a contract on any band.... and anyway, if they didn't agree with the contract, why did they sign it? All bands received copies to take home, look them over, or have their lawyer look them over, before signing. And as far as promoting the bands... if a major label makes a record and test markets don't respond..... do they throw promotion money into the band? Of course not. Why should an independent label be expected to do so? If nothing else, this band got a ton of free recording, and cds to sell..... only for a split of the profits- and without spending a dime of their own money.
6. Anyone out there who thinks they can do better..... stop bitching about what others are doing and open your own all ages venue (or record label)..... Hope you like eating bologna sandwiches.... and working 80 hr weeks.... oh, and did I mention no vacation? (Ok... now THAT was SNARKY. HA!)
7. I don't think anyone involved with the show last Sunday expected to raise enough money to cover the entire restoration. Thats just silly. And as for Alice Cooper..... I think someone got their lines crossed. But I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him at the grand re-opening of the ballroom.......
8. PLEASE SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC! Support the venues and local bands who work long hours for little or no pay. Go to a show, buy cd or t-shirt if you like the band! And thanks to all of you who already support the scene!
Anyway, hurray for Jeanne.... she may be crazy enough to actually pull this off. If not, well at least she didn't just sit around and bitch about what someone else was doing.
Good luck!
Tammy
God this sucks. Remember the last year El Torreon was open? The "Beatoven Era?" It fucking blew. Zero good shows. Punk rock doesn't need fucking investors. Some one call Brian Bomb. Please.
i bet all those peopel here complaining about this story are the same ones who think sprint center has a team coming soon.
I've enjoyed going to El T. for a long while now (2001) and I'm always happy to hear when it's opening back up "under new management". However, I also understand the writer's tone in light of my experiences with the BeatOven folks.
They're all very friendly, ambitious and optimistic. They're also blind to the realities of the music business on the scale that they pursue it and are often left wondering why local bands won't play ball with their bizzaro schemes.
An example in brief:
(1)sign band to label after one positive performance. (2)spring the contract on 'em half-way through recording sessions. (3) Book the band 3 times a month for 3 months (4) bitch at the band for the diminishing crowds, while making minimal attempts at label/venue promotions.
Very odd business practices for guy's who claim, simply, to want to encourage the local music scene. Maybe they've wisesend up. I hope so. I'd love to see El T. flourish again.
So, I guess, I wish 'em the best (and hope for it)... but i'll believe it when I see it.
Um, I think everyone is glazing over the most important fact about this: Not only do we have an all ages venue now, but PETS ARE WELCOME!
I look forward to putting my 17 cats on leashes to go see Nashville Pussy next time they roll through town. Fuck yeah!
It's not that I feel like Jason Harper needs defending, but some of you may want to sharpen your critical thinking skills on the following questions which will help shed light on why a person might be snarky about a goofball press release like the one above:
1. Assuming that the $100,000.00 price-tag that I was told about on the badly-needed roof repair is accurate, how many talent shows will it take to recoup this cost?
2. How much money do you suppose it will cost to bring the El Torreon up to code?
(here's a hint- If Alice Cooper played one unpaid concert there at $1000 per ticket you'd still be a little short)
3. After those expenses are paid for, how much do you suppose it will cost to install geo-thermal wells, solar panels and a roof garden?
4. How the fuck do you put a roof garden on a pitched roof?
This could be rad!
I saw so many great shows there over the years... It'd be rad to see it restored. (although the disrepair was kind or part of the ambiance in recent years)
I for one was sad when the building fell into disrepair and closed its doors. I was sure that it would suffer the same fate as the Pla-Mor ballroom that was located at Linwood and Main.
It is refreshing to hear that the new owner is passionate not only about giving life to such a significant part of Kansas City history, but also about reviving the building in a ecologically responsible manner.
hey you two above: tranquila! tranquila.. whoa.. i think this project sounds super-exciting and simply breathtaking.. as a person who has been to el torreon many times over the years (i mean all over the bldg), the first response of anybody reading this press release could be one of incredulity... and that is how i took the author's few comments.. just b/c a reaction might be along the vein of "is this a joke?" or "you won't believe it" doesn't mean one is necessarily dissing the project -- it might be an honest reaction to how looming (although extremely worthwhile & prolific), ambitious an endeavor.. personally, i love that place and i sincerely hope this project is successful .. but don't call me a hater if you hear me commenting on daunting the project will be.. PEACE-
sounds like a winning project to me. el torreon is a great building with an interesting history and it deserves to be an active part of our fair city. going for a LEED Platinum cert would be amazing.
not sure why the writer saw fit to be so catty about it. perhaps he should stick to his "day job" of writing mediocre, small-minded music reviews instead of cutting down people actually trying to do something good for the city?
what is with the snarky commentary? why is it that anyone trying to do something both innovative and socially conscious is subject to unintelligent disbelief? even if they are able to accomplish only half of what they have proposed, their effort is worth support. the building they have chosen has the potential to provide a strong cultural outlet as well as a blueprint for others looking to restore buildings that have fallen by the wayside. unless i am mistaken, the writer is a "music critic" and should probably stick to that genre. thinking you are far more clever than you actually are is a liability. stick to what you think you know.
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