Inside The Robins Theater, Warren, Ohio. Photo by Sarah Bokone of Boko Photo
Melissa Holmes, an alumna of Milano’s Urban Policy Analysis and Management program, is spearheading a revitalization project to repurpose the historic Robins Theater in her hometown of Warren, Ohio. In her student days, Melissa participated in Milano’s Community Development Finance Lab (CDFL). Melissa thought her current endeavor would make a great CDFL project and contacted faculty member Kevin McQueen.
This February, a team of 13 students and three faculty members from The New School Urban Collaborative, a partnership between Milano’s Community Development Finance Lab and Parsons School of Design Strategies, travel to Warren to begin a community engagement process. The team is partnering with local artists and students to engage community members in a plan for adapting the Robins Theater for reuse. Melissa is excited about the collaboration, “I think the intersection of students with locals is really going to create something amazing.”
Read more about the project in this article from the local paper, Residents work to restore Robins theater, downtown. Please note the Tribune Chronicle got an important detail wrong. Melissa is a proud alumna of the Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy.
VIDEO: New York Students look to Revamp Robins Theater
1 comment
Francesca Brown
February 25, 2014 at 9:17 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I, too am a Milano and CDFL alumni. In fact, Melissa and I worked on a very similar project when we took the course. I can’t wait to see what the CDFL team comes up with!
P.S. When will people learn that there is more to TNS than Parsons? We are actively changing the world so look out! Go Team Milano!