Embassy Gets Facelift

The historic , a 2,477-capacity venue in Fort Wayne, Ind., is about to have a two-story ballroom and rooftop garden added to it. 

Photo: AP Photo / The Journal Gazette, Ben Mikesell
The Embassy Theatre gets renovated in Fort Wayne, Ind., July 9.

City and Embassy officials stood on the theatre’s stage July 8 to take turns symbolically breaking down the walls of the former Indiana Hotel, part of the Embassy building.

The new construction is a $10 million renovation project involving six floors.

The theatre and hotel were built in 1928 and the upper floors of the hotel and other undeveloped areas of the building have sat unused for more than 40 years, according to Marla Peters, president of the board of directors.

Donations and pledges totaling $7.3 million have helped the Embassy hit 91 percent of its fundraising goal. Recent acts to visit the Embassy include Bill Cosby, Anthony Hamilton and . It also hosts the Fort Wayne Philharmonic.