Dairy Center breaks ground on $4.3 million renovation

BOULDER — City officials, builders and donors joined officials of the Dairy Center for the Arts on Thursday as they broke ground for the cultural center’s $4.3 million renovation and expansion.

The earth turned by the commemorative shovels at the old Watts-Hardy Dairy building at 2590 Walnut St. “means Boulder residents are already seeing a return on their investment” via the three-year sales tax they approved in November with Ballot Issue 2A, said Bill Obermeier, executive director of the center. “We said at the time this project was shovel-ready. Since the vote, we have been finalizing all the details required for permits, and with that done, the Dairy renovation is already beginning. This is an exciting time for the arts and for Boulder.”

At the ceremony, Boulder Mayor Pro Tem Suzanne Jones described the Dairy project as a great example of a public/private partnership that has leveraged city support and private money the Dairy itself has raised.

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The renovation will take place in stages, with the first stage involving the exterior, lobby and galleries from August through December. Renovation of the theaters is scheduled for January through July next year, and the addition of a parent/student lounge will be built from August through December 2016.

“It is important to note that the Dairy will remain open during construction,” Obermeier said. “While the front and lobby are being renovated, we will continue to have performances in all three of our theaters. In fact, we are pretty much booked up for the rest of this year. So it is important for the public to realize we’re open so they can continue to support the many outstanding performances and performers who will be here.”

The Dairy will close down for a month in January while work is finished in the lobby, and then reopen Feb. 1 with a new lobby, café and gallery spaces as well as a renovated Gordon Gamm Theater, the 250-seat performance space. The other two dramatic theaters, however, will be closed through July.

Boedecker Cinema at the Dairy will remain open during the entire construction process. The entry will be moved during construction to the rear of the Dairy.