Documents
This page is intended to contain important documents related
to Senator history and efforts to transition The Senator to an
optimal new operation model, as well as documents related to the
evolving political and legal situation with regard to The Senator.
It will be updated on an ongoing basis, and there are many documents
yet to be added. Many document links are also in the timeline,
and cross-referencing of those links to the links here is not
yet complete. Many of the documents are PDF files and may require
Adobe Reader to view.
Letters
GBA
Letter to Mayor Dixon 1/13/09
A letter from then Govanstowne Business Association President
Laura Thul Penza to Mayor Dixon, asking her to assist in The Senator's
planned transition to non-profit ownership.
Baltimore
Heritage Letter to Mayor Dixon 1/20/09
A letter from Baltimore Heritage Executive Director Johns Hopkins
to Mayor Dixon, asking her to assist in The Senator's planned
transition to non-profit ownership.
Theatre Historical Society
of America (THSA) Letter 1/20/09
A letter from THSA to city and state officials, asking them to
assist in The Senator's planned transition to non-profit ownership.
BIA Senator
Theatre Letter 1/21/09
A letter from Belvedere Improvement Association President Catherine
Evans, asking local and state officials to work with community
members and The Senator's owner to transition the theatre to non-profit
ownership.
Preservation
Maryland Letter to Mayor Dixon 1/22/09
A letter from Preservation Maryland to Mayor Dixon, asking her
to assist in The Senator's planned transition to non-profit ownership.
Senator Theatre
owner Tom Kiefaber's Letter to Councilman Bill Henry 7/7/09
An open letter from Tom Kiefaber to Councilman Bill Henry, prior
to the auction, in which Kiefaber notes Henry's public pronouncements
that the city will control the public auction of The Senator,
and notes Henry's apparent support for Charles Theater operator
Buzz Cusack's "avowed interest in owning the theatre,"
among other observations that now seem almost prescient.
Laura
Perkins' Letter to Mayor Rawlings-Blake 2/23/10
Letter from the Friends of The Senator representative on the BDC's
Senator advisory panel, informing the Mayor of Perkins' resignation
in protest from the panel due to the BDC's refusal to consult
historic theatre redevelopment experts and film exhibition experts.
Tom Harris'
Letter to Mayor Rawlings-Blake 2/24/10
FOTS President Tom Harris wrote this letter to the Mayor, calling
for historic theatre redevelopment experts and film exhibition
experts to guide the RFP process on The Senator.
Theatre Historical
Society of America (THSA) Letter to Mayor Rawlings-Blake 2/27/10
A letter from THSA President Karen Colizzi Noonan to Mayor Rawlings-Blake,
asking her to require the BDC to consult with historic theatre
experts on the Senator RFP process.
Baltimore
Heritage Letter to Mayor Rawlings-Blake 3/11/10
A letter from Baltimore Heritage Executive Director Johns Hopkins
asking Mayor Rawlings-Blake to ensure that historic theatre redevelopment
experts be consulted on the BDC's Senator RFP process, and that
a preservation expert be appointed to the BDC's board.
Bob
Headley Letter to the Mayor 3/18/10
Letter from theatre history expert and author Bob Headley to Mayor
Rawlings-Blake, asking her to ensure that theatre preservation
experts are consulted and to add a preservation expert to the
BDC's board.
Preservation
Maryland Letter to Mayor Rawlings-Blake 3/19/10
A letter from Preservation Maryland to Mayor Rawlings-Blake, asking
her to require that historic theatre preservation experts be consulted
on the BDC's Senator RFP process.
National Trust for
Historic Preservation Letter to Mayor Rawlings-Blake 3/26/10
A letter from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to
Mayor Rawlings-Blake, asking her to require that preservation
experts, historic theatre redevelopment experts, and film exhibition
experts be consulted on the BDC's Senator RFP process.
FOTS
Open Letter to Mayor Rawlings-Blake, March 2010
This and a subsequent version of a letter to the Mayor were signed
by over 100 members of the public in March 2010 via www.senatorletter.com
and www.citizenspeak.org.
Public comments
to Mayor Rawlings-Blake, March 2010
Over 100 members of the public from all over the country signed
a FOTS open letter to Mayor Rawlings-Blake, asking her to ensure
that historic theatre redevelopment experts and film exhibition
experts were consulted on the BDC's Senator RFP process. This
document is a sampling of the comments made by some of those who
signed.
FOTS
Letter to Deputy Mayor Parthemos 5/11/10
Friends of The Senator President Thomas Harris and Founding Member
Laura Perkins wrote this letter to Deputy Mayor Parthemos to follow
up on their meeting with the Mayor and her staff on May 6th. The
letter is intended to clarify several points on which the Mayor
and her staff have been misinformed by the BDC.
Baltimore City and BDC Actions
Tom Kiefaber's
Remarks to CHAP Commission 3/5/07 (as prepared)
Senator owner Tom Kiefaber's remarks to the CHAP commission, objecting
to their 2007 exterior landmark designation on The Senator Theatre.
Deputy Mayor Andrew
Frank's Offer Letter to Tom Kiefaber 1/26/09
Offer letter to Tom Kiefaber for the city's acquisition of The
Senator. The letter was released to the media before Kiefaber
was given a copy. Note that most of the conditions on which the
offer was based were not within Kiefaber's control, and some were
not within the City's control either, such as the condition that
made it necessary for the State to release the lien on Kiefaber's
home. The secretive steering committee the city set up subsequently
ruled that The Senator could not be a non-profit. To date (as
of June 14, 2010) both city and state retain their liens on Kiefaber's
family home.
Laura
Perkins' Notes for Planning Commission Meeting on CHAP Guidelines
12/17/09
FOTS founding member Laura Perkins' notes as prepared for a Planning
Commission meeting on the interior landmark designation on The
Senator that was proposed by CHAP just prior to the auction of
the theatre.
License Agreement
between City DHCD and Tom Kiefaber, 4/13/10
A license agreement allowing Tom Kiefaber to continue to operate
The Senator during the interim while the BDC completes the RFP
process.
Eviction
Notice to from City Solicitor Lawrence Jenkins to Tom Kiefaber,
received June 11, 2010
Letter from City Solicitor Lawrence Jenkins, terminating the interim
license on behalf of "the City," not DHCD.
Tom
Kiefaber's Letter to City Solicitor Lawrence Jenkins 6/22/10
This is Tom Kiefaber's response to an eviction notice from City
Solicitor Lawrence Jenkins. The letter was published in full on
the Baltimore Sun's web site. Here
is how it appeared on the site.
RFP Process
This section contains documents related to the RFP process, many
which the BDC tried to keep secret. As whistleblowers, we realize
we are taking a risk by making them public, however, we read Maryland's
Public Information Act, along with a 2006
Court of Appeals ruling that said the BDC is a public agency
and must open up its meetings and paperwork, as giving us the
right to release this information, which describes a proposal
involving the use of taxpayer funds. (We have redacted any financial
information which may be deemed private.) We sought and received
John Bell's permission before releasing his expert input.
RFP Proposal from
Charles Theater operator James "Buzz" Cusack
Here it is. Charles Theater operator Buzz Cusack's proposal to
lease The Senator from Baltimore City for $1 a year, which BDC
doesn't want you to see.
Advisory Panel Q&A
with Cusack RFP team
There were two sets of questions and answers given to the advisory
panel. These are the non-financial ones. The questions were submitted
by advisory panel members and answered by Buzz Cusack and his
daughter, Kathleen Cusack. The BDC did not want these released
to the public. Please note that there are many factual errors
in the responses given, and a critique of these answers is on
our to do list.
Cusack Demolition
Plan for The Senator
We have added more accurate labels to these architectural drawings,
which Cusack presented to the public in the January 5, 2010 RFP
proposal meeting. The drawings show the original portions of The
Senator's interior that Cusack plans to demolish.
Expert Input
from John Bell, Executive Director of Tampa Theatre
At the end of January 2010, the BDC solicited this set of responses
to questions posed by the citizen advisory panel from League of
Historic American Theatre (LHAT) board member and Tampa Theatre
Executive Director John Bell, a film exhibition expert. Mr. Bell
was not allowed to see the RFP proposals he was asked to evaluate,
but had to rely on the set of questions posed.
This was one of only two expert opinions the BDC received from
film exhibition experts or historic theatre experts. The BDC suppressed
the second expert opinion they received from another LHAT board
member, reportedly even more critical than this one of the Cusack
RFP plan. They emailed this expert opinion to most of the advisory
panel members (except the FOTS representative), but did not want
it made public.
Press
In Baltimore's West Side,
Preservation Story Unfolds (New York Times 2/18/01)
Article notes that Kiefaber's action in showing a short film called
"Baltimore's West Side Story" at The Senator was the
turning point in the battle to save historic buildings in Baltimore's
west side "Superblock." Court battles over the Superblock
have stymied the BDC's plans for development of the area to date
(June, 2010). Kiefaber's involvement here apparently was one of
the original reasons for BDC animosity towards him.
The Senator's
Lover Bares All, Interview with Tom Kiefaber 7/09/09
Interview with then Senator owner Tom Kiefaber by FOTS founding
member Laura Perkins, prior to the auction of The Senator. The
interview appeared on Perkins' "Astrogirl's Galaxy Guide"
blog.
Senator Theatre
Supporters Accuse BDC of 'Mismanagement' 3/18/10
A Baltimore Business Journal article about FOTS objections to
the BDC's RFP process.
BDC
Defends Senator Plan 3/19/10
A Baltimore Business Journal article that discusses letters from
Friends of The Senator, Baltimore Heritage, and the Theatre Historical
Society of America, asking Mayor-Rawlings Blake to require that
the BDC consult historic theatre redevelopment experts, and the
BDC's reaction.
Awards
National
Trust's Main Street Center 2003 Business Leadership Award to Tom
Kiefaber
Press release issued in 2003 from the National Trust's Main Street
Center, when Tom Kiefaber received their national Business Leadership
award.
Fact
Sheet - 2003 National Main Street Center Business Leadership Award
to Tom Kiefaber
The National Trust's Main Street Center's fact sheet on their
2003 Business Leadership award to then Senator owner Tom Kiefaber.
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