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The Roseway Theater in Northeast Portland is now 90 years old. But its future got a big boost several years ago when a complete renovation took place. Seating was reduced from slightly more than 500 to 330 to increase leg room, and a sound system equivalent with those in modern theaters was installed.

鈥淐ompletely renovating this place eight years ago was when it came back to life,鈥� said James Bonner, the Roseway’s manager. 鈥淚t was pretty run-down at that point.鈥�

Oregon has more than 100 historical theaters, and they have potential to be significant economic engines 鈥� like the Roseway is now 鈥� according to a new report by University of Oregon graduate students. However, financial and organizational challenges exist.

鈥淭he impetus for this study was really around economic and community development and the notion of theaters as community anchors and cultural centers,鈥� said Bob Parker, Community Planning Workshop program director at the University of Oregon. 鈥淎s we got further into it, we found out that there was no statewide inventory of these facilities. There were lots of anecdotes floating around about theaters failing and huge expenses around structural upgrades. It seemed like it was an appropriate time to dig into this and do some research and better understand the needs of the theaters.鈥�

Travel Oregon provided a matching grant to help pay for an inventory, which was conducted between September 2014 and August 2015. Parker and five graduate students studied the theaters and looked into upgrades they need to be more profitable. Working on the report provided a valuable educational opportunity for the students, he said.

鈥淚t was really kind of cool because they get direct experience working with community partners and doing applied research, and they get to see the results of their efforts manifest over time,鈥� he said.

The team identified four key challenges for historic theaters: tight finances, aging infrastructure, increased competition, and a lack of coordination among owners and operators for sharing opportunities.

Also, the survey found that 56 percent of Oregon’s historic theaters have not been seismically retrofitted, 57 percent do not have automatic fire protection and 46 percent are not fully ADA compliant. Thirty-six theaters responding to the survey reported a combined $20.8 million in deferred maintenance. Thirty-two percent of the theaters had not upgraded to fully digital projection, which is necessary to show first-run movies.

Despite the needs for improvement, the theaters surveyed collectively hosted 62,000 events and brought in $23 million in revenue.

The report made two recommendations. The first is that theaters undergo comprehensive structural assessments, preferably by an architect trained in historic preservation. The second is that a diverse coalition of nonprofit and state agencies create a statewide 鈥渉istoric theaters initiative鈥� that offers funding, technical support, access to diverse programming, and a mechanism for sharing information and resources.

In August, a five-year 鈥渁ction plan鈥� to address theaters’ needs was begun by Restore Oregon, Oregon Main Street, the Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Film (the Governor’s Office of Film and Video), the Oregon Arts Commission, the state’s Regional Solutions team, Pacific Power, and the UO‘s Community Service Center.

鈥淭here’s something about these facilities that really captures people’s imaginations, in part because they’re just such iconic symbols of culture and history,鈥� Parker said.

And now the Roseway is in great shape to extend its history. Bonner said that because most historical theaters are smaller than newer ones, owners can get more bang for their buck in renovations.

鈥淚t takes a lot less money to make it more comfortable here than somewhere else,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you were to try to make that same investment in a mega-plex, you have 20 different theaters to worry about as opposed to having just one big room to get up to date.鈥�

The result of the Roseway renovation has been exactly what the University of Oregon study predicted would happen: a historical theater became a profitable place for the community to gather.

鈥淵ou don’t feel like you just walked into a corporate building when you come here,鈥� Bonner said. 鈥淚t’s a lot more normal. There’s a small staff. We get to know the regular customers. The same people are constantly going in and out. It’s a neighborhood theater.鈥�