The Board of Directors for CCPATCH, the non-profit behind The Ritz Theatre revitalization, are excited to announce, OTJ Architects has been officially signed as the architect of record to restore The Ritz Theatre in downtown Corpus Christi, Texas.
OTJ is one of the best of the best when it comes to restoring historic theatres, and they have been nationally-recognized for their work in the arts, culture, and education sectors. OTJ has renovated and preserved over 200 historic theaters, breathing new life into community icons that have fallen into disrepair. OTJ is based out of Washington DC, with offices in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, NYC, San Diego, and San Francisco.
Recognizable projects restored with OTJ’s help are:
The Majestic Theatre, San Antonio, TX
The Plaza Theatre, El Paso, TX
Alameda Theatre, Austin, TX
Boston Opera House, MA
Cincinnati Music Hall, OH
Grand Opera House, MS
The Howard Theatre, Washington DC
Kings Theatre, NY
MLK Jr. Memorial Library, Washington DC
Paramount Theatre, VA
Saenger Theatre, New Orleans, LA
Times Square Theatre, NY
The Theater of the Performing Arts at the Planet Hollywood Casino, Las Vegas, NV
We are most excited about OTJ’s work in Texas, particularly their restoration work on The Plaza Theatre in El Paso. The Plaza was originally built by the same architect as The Ritz, Scott Dunn. We have few resources showing the original details in The Ritz and will look to The Plaza restoration to give clues on how to bring The Ritz back to it’s 1929 glory.
OTJ’s first phase will start in the next few months and includes completing a building assessment, conceptual master planning, and cost estimating. Under the direction of Gary Martinez, OTJ has already secured team leads and we will be looking to add local professionals under this leadership team!
Architectural – OTJ Architects
Theatrical Planners – Schuler Shook
Structural Engineers – Lundy & Franke Engineering
MEP – Cleary Zimmerman Engineers
Plaster Repair and Decorative Painting – Evergreene Architectural Arts
Stay tuned for news regarding OTJ’s next trip to Corpus Christi, which will likely be in late April. Please contact our Executive Director, Cheryl Votzmeyer-Rios at cvotzmeyer@ccpatch.org if you’d like to be invited to a presentation at that time with OTJ partner, Gary Martinez.
For more information, please contact Cheryl Votzmeyer-Rios
at cvotzmeyer@ccpatch.org or 361-728-7041.