Across the United States, vacant buildings that used to be the center of community activity are finding a new way forward, thanks in part to the Historic Tax Credit (HTC). A children’s theater in the Midwest, August Wilson’s favorite theater, and a community centered arts space in Louisiana demonstrate the trend.

National Trust Community Investment Corporation (NTCIC), a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, an impact investment asset management firm focused on renewable energy solutions and the adaptive reuse of historic properties in under-resourced communities. NTCIC makes transformational impact investments in underserved communities, promoting an equitable future by revitalizing historic properties and renewable energy initiatives .

The program has helped save 20 historic theaters, from Utica, New York to Tucson, Arizona since 2000, investing more than $150 million, said Mike Palien, director of marketing for NTCIC.

Here are three theaters, funded in part by NTCIC, that are getting ready for their next productions.

Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Since 1919, The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati (TCT) has offered live professional theatrical performances for audiences of children and their families. Today, said Kim Kern, the theater’s president and CEO, TCT is one of the top four children’s theaters in the country. Soon, she said confidently, it will be number one.

TCT is in the process of a $51 million renovation of the Emery Theatre, a beloved Cincinnati architectural icon that the TCT used between 1948 and 1969. The Emery, built in 1912 in Cincinnati’s Over-The-Rhine District, has been vacant for nearly five decades, leaving its ground-breaking sightlines and ornate decor closed to the public. Meanwhile, TCT performed at the Taft Theatre, a venue available to the company just 40 days per year.

“We truly believe that this renovation project will elevate us to the number one children’s theater in the country,” Kern said.

As has been the case in many American cities, many proposals had been floated over the years to save the Emery, but none had been successful. When TCT moves into the renovated Emery in 2025, and embarks on its next season, it will be thanks, in part, to NTCIC.

Like any tax credit or other financing, there are requirements about what the funds can be used for, including the preservation and restoration of these majestic buildings in all their splendor, and payment on construction loans. In Cincinnati, for example, that included the dome ceiling and recreation of wood architectural detailing.

The $51 million Emery renovation will help TCT and the larger Cincinnati theater district downtown which is being revived. The city of Cincinnati is currently a finalist for the Sundance Film Festival's relocation in 2027. If awarded, the Emery, with its expanded concession space, additional public restrooms, and new behind-the-scenes technology, would be one of the venues for screening films.

While building a new facility could have addressed some of the issues the company was having, such as not having access to a stage often enough, it wouldn’t have had the community support and energy that revitalizing the beloved Emery has had. “Funds from the New Market Tax Credits were integral to the project,” Kern said.

The Huntington Theatre (Boston, Massachusetts)

While TCT is still fundraising and preparing to move, other communities have already experienced the rejuvenation possible with renovated theaters. Among those that NTCIC has helped save over the years is Boston’s Huntington Theatre. Today, The Huntington Theatre is one of two venues where the city’s leading professional theater companies, performs. Built in 1925, The Huntington has many claims to fame. It was the first nonprofit theater building in the United States, and therefore often referred to as America’s first civic playhouse, said Temple Gill, director of public affairs and strategic partnerships for The Huntington Theatre Co.

Playwright August Wilson also called it his favorite theater in the United States. Nine of Wilson’s 10 plays started at the Huntington before heading to Broadway. When the theater reopened in 2022 after the renovation, the new lobby was named the August Wilson Lobby.

Like many theater restoration projects, The Huntington went through some ups and downs, with years of discussion about what would happen to the century-old, but run-down gem. With help of the city and commercial developers committed to preserving the city’s history, the theater company was able to acquire both the theater itself in perpetuity and the land on which it sits for $1. The Huntington’s $146 million renovation was partly funded by NTCIC tax credits. The funds allowed the theater company to modernize, creating a new universal ADA accessible entrance, elevators, HVAC and other systems, while restoring historical elements like the gold-leaf dome and repurposing historical hardware. A Shakespeare quote was restored above the proscenium.

Also on display is a portrait of Henry Jewett as Macbeth. Jewett was the actor who wanted a permanent facility to be built for his theater company and helped bankroll it. Many believe that Jewett’s ghost roams the halls of the Huntington Theatre and that having a light over his portrait keeps him friendly.

Andre Cailloux Center for Performing Arts and Cultural Justice

The Bayou Treme Center is an $11.8 million adaptive reuse project involving a deconsecrated church and two affiliated school houses on the historic Bayou Road and Columbus Street in New Orleans. The three buildings have been restored and updated by Alembic Community Development and Rose Collaborative Community Development Corporation thanks, in part, to the use of NTCIC funds and New Market and Historic Tax Credits. The 1915 church building became the Andre Cailloux Center for Performing Arts and Cultural Justice, a multi-disciplinary, community-centered arts facility, and one of the few Black-led performing arts centers in Louisiana. Originally, the 110-seat theater was used by the Southern Rep Theater, which closed in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bayou Road was already a dynamic community, with a range of Black-owned businesses and cultural organizations, and an active association of stakeholders that had long been working to revitalize the area. “We were not seeking to catalyze it, we were not seeking to change it,” said Jonathan Leit, director of Alembic Community Development.

There was, however, a dearth of space, he said. It had been difficult for organizations to find space they could access, both physically and financially. The development funds and tax credits have helped begin to solve this problem in one of New Orleans' most vibrant cultural centers.