Roxian Theatre poised for rebirth

First concert may be held by next January

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

In 2002, the Roxian Theatre held its last banquet, capping a dwindling revenue stream that had begun grandly in 1928 with vaudeville.

Ever since it went quiet, Taris Vrcek, executive director of the McKees Rocks Community Development Corp., knew the Roxian would be the ticket his hometown needed to get back in on the action, if only someone would activate it.

The community development corporation raised $850,000 to shore up the building’s roof and its basement and install elevator shafts in 2010-11. Mr. Vrcek pitched the venue to various impresarios.

Late in December, John Pergal, owner of the Thunderbird Cafe in Lawrenceville, and his partners closed on the property, with plans to invest $2 million of their own money into the $9 million project.

He said he saw opportunity in a 1,500-seat venue to attract musicians who bypass Pittsburgh because it has too few venues in the 800- to 1,500-seat range. One model is the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C, where the Dead Milkmen are playing Friday night.

The Roxian is expected to hold its first concert by roughly this time next year, Mr. Vrcek said.

“The Roxian was designed for live entertainment,” Mr. Pergal said. “It has great sight lines, great acoustics and is a very warm room. With general admission for 1,000 people on the ground level and 500 in the balcony and VIP, that’s going to allow us to do some really cool things.”

The Thunderbird Cafe has been under renovation for a year and will reopen this spring, having doubled its capacity to 400, he said.

Mr. Pergal has been involved in McKees Rocks’ annual summer FEASTival for several years and said the event helped answer the question, “’Will live music bring people to McKees Rocks?’”

He said FEASTival attendance tops 4,000, drawing visitors from out of state.

“The Roxian is a game changer for the Sto-Rox community,” said Ray Garofalo, vice president for community development at Dollar Bank and a board member of the McKees Rocks CDC. “It will result in new business development,