Oakdale Theater
| The Oakdale | |
| Full name | Toyota presents the Oakdale Theatre, powered by Xfinity |
|---|---|
| Former names | Oakdale Musical Theatre (1954-87) Oakdale Theatre (1988-96) SNET Oakdale Theatre (1996-2000) ctnow.com Oakdale Theatre (2000-02) careerbuilder.com Oakdale Theatre (2002-05) Chevrolet Theatre (2005-09) |
| Address | 95 South Turnpike Rd Wallingford, CT 06492-4326 |
| Owner | Live Nation Connecticut |
| Capacity | 4,803 (Main auditorium) 1,649 (The Dome) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | June 21, 1954 |
| Renovated | 1961, 1972, 1994-96 |
| Construction cost | 150,000 ($1.34 million in 2016 dollars) |
| Website | |
| Venue Website | |
| Building details | |
| General information | |
| Renovated | July 7, 1996 |
| Renovation cost | $21 million ($33.9 million in 2016 dollars) |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect | Rothman, Rothman & Heineman Architects |
| Main contractor | Klewin Construction |
The Toyota Oakdale Theatre (originally known as the Oakdale Musical Theatre) is a muti-purpose performance venue, located in Wallingford, Connecticut. Opening in 1954, the venue consists of an auditorium and domed theatre, known as The Dome at Oakdale.
The music venue was founded by Ben Segal in 1954. At this time, the theatre was an open-air, theatre in the round venue seating 1,400. It was located in an alfalfa field near the Oakdale Tavern. The theatre opened in June 1954 and was used primarily for and thus the venue only operated seasonally. During its inaugural season, the theatre hosted many famous plays including: Kiss Me, Kate, South Pacific and Oklahoma!.
In 1962, Segal purchased the nearby tavern for $600,000. During this time, he also made slight modifications to the venue to make the experience better for the consumer. With the new features, the theatre also become a concert venue. The Oakdale became a regular concert venue when many acts also played the Westbury Music Fair. Act included: Tom Jones, Paul Anka, Led Zeppelin, The Who and The Doors.
In 1972, a wooden dome was erected to replace the tent and the capacity doubled to 3,200. The 70s drew in more concerts but also boxing and other sporting events as well. By the 1980s, the allure of the venue began to flicker. Despite its wooded dome, the venue continued to operate seasonally. With the theatre in the round buzz going out of style, the venue began to suffer financially. In 1989, Segal sold the venue to Robert Errato, who later created the Oakdale Development Limited Partnership.
Initially, Errato wanted to take the property and convert it into condominiums with office/retail space. After the community protested the change, (stating the theatre was considered a landmark to its residents) Errato abandoned his plans. Later, he went to the city council and proposed an $80 million plan to improve the theatre but also used the acreage to include an office park and retail shops. Once again, the community were against his plans, stating the changes would bring unnecessary traffic and the changes would ruin the "country" setting of the town.
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Wikipedia