Former Rochester Chateau Theater Operator Sues City
Rochester, MN (KROC AM News) - The Rochester City Council Monday approved an agreement with Threshold Arts that is expected to lead to a reopening of the Chateau Theater.
Meanwhile, the previous operator has sued the city for damages it says were suffered while it was trying to open and run the building.
The lawsuit places most of the blame on the city.
The city approved an operating agreement with Exhibits Development Group of St Paul in August 2019. EDG is claiming the city “conspicuously left out and in fact hid, numerous issues that the Chateau was experiencing” and those problems ultimately led to its inability to successfully operate the building.
The lawsuit says the city “agreed to deliver possession of the Chateau and perform all
capital improvements within 60 days of signing the Operating Agreement.” EDG says the opening “was delayed several times due to the City’s failures to meet its obligations under the Operating Agreement.”
EDG initially planned to have the Chateau open on October 10, 2019 but it had to wait another month. The lawsuit says many of the problems were still unresolved when it began operations.
Its first public event was the state debut of The Magical History Tour: A Beatles Memorabilia Exhibition.
After a shutdown caused by the pandemic, the Chateau reopened in June 2020 but it then had to deal with a Peace Plaza renovation project that led to another closure.
Here are some photos:
EDG says the city announced in June 2021 “that the Operating Agreement had been terminated.”
Here is the press release from the city.
On Wednesday, the DMC Corporation Board approved spending an additional $250,000 on renovations and repairs at the historic building.
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