Anderson Paramount Rebounds

Repairs and clean-up are rapidly taking place at the Paramount Theatre Centre and Ballroom in Anderson, Ind., after a pipe burst Jan. 3, flooding the basement and dressing rooms and destroying the venue’s electrical system.

Paramount Theatre Executive Director Gayle Jones Burris told Pollstar Jan. 12 that the basement and its nine dressing rooms are dry and workers are installing new electrical equipment as it comes in.

“Once our independent power is installed, the next step is to power up each section of the building,” Burris said. “We will [then] be able to assess the rest of our inventory, which includes sound equipment, HVAC and everything else that we haven’t been able to see.

“It has been quite the adventure, but with the support of our community and the tireless efforts of the work crews here, we hope to be back in business by the end of the week.”

That support included insurers jumping in to get the process going and residents giving donations to help cover the insurance deductible.

The 1,452-capacity theatre’s 1925 Grande Page theatre organ managed to survive unscathed by the massive steam release created by the fried electrical system, Burris added.

The city’s Herald Bulletin reports the repair costs so far are more than $200,000.

Meanwhile, Burris is moving forward with the local events on the books as she remains “cautiously optimistic.”

“This is the theatre, you understand, so we hesitate in committing ourselves to anything more concrete as to not irritate the fates,” she told Pollstar.