Construction is expected to begin in September on a new live music venue in downtown Dayton. The Levitt Pavilion project is moving forward after organizers Tuesday reached their $5 million capital-funding goal.
The project has also received funding and support from the city of Dayton, Montgomery county, foundations and corporate sponsors.
Contributions included $1 million from the city of Dayton, $500,000 from the national Levitt Foundation to help pay for construction. Levitt is also expected to contribute another $250,000 in the first year, $200,000 in the second, and $150,000 a year after that to help offset operations expenses.
Friends of Levitt Pavilion Dayton Chair Jeff Ireland says the venue will be an important milestone in the revitalization of downtown.
“It’s creating a nucleus of folks who are coming downtown and I think it will also draw people who wouldn’t otherwise come downtown," he says. "And so they are going to be, ‘oh wow, look at all this stuff downtown. I didn’t realize all of these things were here, and it was such a fun place to be,’ so there are just a lot of positives that should roll out of this.”
The Levitt Pavilion is set to host 50 free shows a year beginning next June.
“People will be able to bring food, they will be able to bring drinks, they’ll be able to purchase both and bring their lawn chairs, blankets and just take in the music, and enjoy it and be a part of the scene in downtown Dayton,” he says.
Ireland says planners worked to ensure the Levitt Pavilion's schedule would not infringe on other regional venues' audiences.
The venue will be the eighth such Levitt Foundation-affiliated venue across the country.
The public is invited to attend a free groundbreaking and preview concert at Dave Hall Plaza Thursday, August 17. That concert will feature The Suffers band.
For more information, go to: http://www.levittdayton.org/