S tep inside the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox and the unique performance space is striking.

Golden sunbursts beam down triumphantly over the auditorium as if in celebration of the theater’s glorious history. Grand staircases, ornamental murals and elegant fixtures surround you.

As a historic preservation project alone, this theater is noteworthy. Its distinctive décor represents the work of two of the nation’s finest interpreters of art deco working at the height of their craft.

Gaze – and listen – a little closer and it becomes evident the restored theater is more than finely preserved craftsmanship and polished memories. The rejuvenated building puts Spokane’s performing arts community at the world’s cultural doorstep.

Modernizations and improvements have fine-tuned the theater’s acoustics, theatrical amenities and patron comforts. Taken together, the features offer a Stradivarius experience that would be exceptional in any community.

In embracing and reviving the past, the theater has leaped into the future. This 21st century center for the performing arts incorporates technology in ways few other performance spaces can, creating new educational and economic opportunities.

State-of-the-art connectivity reserved primarily for universities and research institutions puts the theater on a virtual global stage. Internet2 technology makes it possible to electronically assemble the world’s greatest performing artists and teachers for a real-time performance from the theater.

So, a composer in China can see and hear her symphony performed in Spokane and offer comments from Beijing during rehearsals. Experts in New York and Europe can judge students on stage in Spokane with the clarity and immediacy of being right in the hall on Monroe Street.

Fewer than 20 performing arts centers around the world have this capability, and no others in the Pacific Northwest.

As we celebrate the rebirth of an amazing theater and marvel at its advancements, looking back can be instructive about the future. The official program handed out at the theater’s original opening introduced it with somewhat pretentious, but insightful remarks.

“There is a significance attached to the dedication of the Fox Theatre which marks the occasion as one of supreme civic importance,” the program said. “Those who see beneath the surface are quick to sense that here is a great forward step for Spokane. Here is visible evidence of a mighty world-wide organization’s great faith in this City.”

Spokane has changed a lot since the Fox Theater opened in 1931. Yet, the theater is once again poised to be a catalyst for the growth of our cultural community.

Consider the parallels in the theater’s life cycle. When construction started in 1929, the world was full of optimism and prosperity. The building’s art and architecture reflected the extravagance of the era.

By the time the building was completed in 1931, as the country plunged into the Great Depression, conditions were much different. The theater stood as a reminder of possibilities. It eventually became home to thousands of unforgettable memories of music, dance, theater, comedy, film and more in truly splendid surroundings.

Seventy-six years later, the theater is again lifting its curtain to growing cultural and civic momentum. The initiative to rescue and restore the theater was an essential part of reinventing Spokane’s urban core in 1999, helping to define an emerging arts district in the city’s west end.

Despite the economic setbacks the entire nation experienced following 9/11, the Inland Northwest’s prosperity has grown in the century’s first decade. More than $3 billion in new real estate investment has been completed and announced over the past eight years in Spokane’s urban core.

New and fresh, the revived Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox stands as a testament and celebration of these good times.

Significantly, it has been reborn not from an external source — “a mighty world-wide organization” — but largely by the people of Spokane. The grass-roots support of 1,300 people and businesses saved the theater from the wrecking ball. The public-private partnership that emerged in support of the capital campaign, the support of the state of Washington, the innovative tax credit financing, and the hard work, dedication and great faith of hundreds of visionaries and supporters has been essential to bringing this treasured icon back to life.

Increasing the community’s capacity for the arts will translate into economic impact. The acoustical and architectural splendors are tantalizing enticements to performers and audiences. The possibilities created by technology that now permeates the theater present the potential for building on the region’s strong history of liberal arts and humanities education.

Spokane has the opportunity to host more events, new performance festivals and learning opportunities. The Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox is the next act in the community’s exciting future.

Bravo to Spokane and the Inland Northwest for making it happen!