Hotel Indigo at Sky View is scheduled to open June 16 and begin taking reservations starting July 15, City Administrator/Redevelopment Director Peter Pelissier said at Wednesday night’s Redevelopment Agency meeting.
Construction for the Irving-Fulton streets realignment will be completed the first week of June, with temporary paving in place for May 17’s Hot Rods and Harleys event, he said. Milling and resurfacing will take place the second week of June.
Planned retail for the hotel building includes a coffee shop, dry cleaners, fitness center and restaurant.
Interesting story in Wednesday’s Star-Ledger about the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, not for the $15,000 Springsteen tickets necessarily, but as the story put it: “The Basie’s success is especially noteworthy because many performing arts centers are struggling with declines in attendance and dramatic changes in ticket-buying patterns.” The theatre is not unlike our own Union County Performing Arts Center in terms of size and age, and both have undergone recent renovations.
Perhaps the UCPAC can adapt some lessons from Count Basie, as well as other venues, like Paper Mill Playhouse, which tried to be daring but it didn’t work out as well. It’s not uncommon for art centers to lose money, and UCPAC is no exception, but now it’s taxpayers who own it after the $6.2-million renovation and acquisition. The center also was featured in the Ledger this week, mainly for its new air conditioning, which will allow summer events.
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I went to a couple of events at the Count Basie theater a few years ago, and as you say, there are lots of similarities between CBT and UCAC: the age, style, and I’d say mission of the two theaters is very similar. However, the differences are even greater. I was struck by how PLAIN that theater is, both inside and out- UCAC is gorgeous inside and should be a draw on its own. It’s also in Red Bank, which just seemed very out of the way to me- Rahway has a much larger potential audience much nearer. But the biggest difference was the schedule. There were actually shows that I wanted to see there throughout their season. Their lineup was FAR superior to UCAC, and I think that is what makes the difference between being successful, and hemhorraging money.
Out of curiosity, I looked up both of their current schedules. Just by the numbers the difference is huge. Through the end of the year, UCAC has 14 scheduled events. I’m with whoever said it before: Englebert Humperdink?!?By contrast, the Count Basie schedule lists 30 events, and continues into next year. And the difference in content is dramatic. Just look at kids’ programming: think High School Musical at CBT will do well? Maybe just a tad better than the Gazillion Bubble show with Fan Yang?
I agree with Doofus (I never thought I say those words in my life, lol). If Bruce played UCAC it would sell out just as quickly as Count Basie. It’s all about the performances. Who’s in charge of booking these things anyway??
probably the same person who thinks do-wop and joy behar will bring in a lot of money and attention. don’t get me wrong I like my share of do-wop but I just think if we want to bring people in we have to give them a reason. CBT is on the right track and there are usually a good amount of performances that bring in crowds. UCAC needs to learn from them and try to bring in some good performances. given it’s location a great band or small theatre performance will even bring in the ny crowd far better than red bank.
I totally agree with Alexis about the right shows would bring em downtown.A younger hipper crowd would prob. be the ones who would also buy or rent real estate here.Somebody book Kathy Griffin and I’ll show up!!!
With all due respect to Englebert (and Neil Sedaka, Connie Francis, etc.) and the seeming endless doo-wop acts coming to the UCPAC, the Arts Center has to realize that they have the capacity to host shows that I’ll enjoy and shows that my grandparents will enjoy. And I agree that the Count Basie seemed drab and cramped when I saw a show there in 2006.For decades the Paper Mill Playhouse has a loyal following of what I call “old rich ladies” who enjoy their safe, inoffensive, lowest common denominator theatre, and that’s fine and OK. When the new director came in to shake things up, that group of monied women walked away. Diversity of acts should be a goal of these theatres to keep young and old patrons happy.
Wonder which coffee shop will be there in Sky View… I’m hoping for Starbucks, but not expecting them to come to Rahway, yet.
The article about CBT also mentions that they will be closed for renovations for several months. So their 30 shows compared to UCAC’s 14 also includes several months where there is NOTHING scheduled.You can’t make any money if there are no butts in the seats. And there will definitely be no butts in the seats if there is nothing going on.
“Hotel Indigo at Sky View is scheduled to open June 16 and begin taking reservations starting July 15″It would make more sense if the hotel was scheduled to open July 15th and will start taking reservations on June 16th … but maybe I’m missing something. Anyway, I’m looking forward to checking out the new hotel when it opens. I think I read somewhere that there was going to be a rooftop bar or restaurant or something like that.
anonymous hoping for starbucks, sorry to say when I went to an open house I was told that the coffee house was not starbucks and that they weren’t ready to release their name.
Isnt it funny that there is a starbucks in the lovely parking lot of the Home Depot in Linden overlooking the late and great GM plant-but they dont want to invest in a huge condo-hotel building across from a busy train station.Lets get the gay’s from Asbury to spruce things up!!!
Not sure if it’ll clarify things any better, but what was said at last week’s Redevelopment Agency meeting was that the hotel would open June 16, followed by a month of training, and the first day of reservations would be July 15.BTW, saw three large, white (moving) trucks parked outside the hotel entrance Saturday morning.
Thanks for clarifying, Mark. Sounds like the hotel won’t really be open to the public until July (unless there’s a bar/restaurant inside that will be open in June). Either way, I’m looking forward to checking it out.