The Lindsay Theater & Cultural Center in Sewickley holds a special place in Mayor George Shannon’s heart.
It was a fond place during development for him and his wife, Carol, years ago.
“She had been sick for seven years and I took care of her,” said Shannon. “When they announced they were going to build this theater, there were cocktail parties and fundraisers all over town for three years.
“We would go to most of them. When we would come out she would say to me, ‘You’re going to give them some money, right?’”
The mayor could not help but recall how much Carol cared about the theater while standing outside it on a crisp fall evening Nov. 7. Shannon, surrounded by local and state officials, fellow residents and theater workers, cut the ribbon to a new gathering place outside its front door called Walnut Green.
The mayor would eventually donate and get his wife’s name on a plaque as one of the contributors to the theater’s development. It was an anniversary gift in March 2017 — the theater first opened as The Tull Family Theater in February of that year.
It’s owned by an independent, film-driven arts nonprofit and is located at 418 Walnut St.
The Shannons had been married for 48 years. Carol Shannon was still dealing with medical issues and could visit to see the plaque in person.
“I came in and took a photograph of it,” Shannon said. “I said, ‘Hey honey. I have an anniversary present for you.’ I showed it to her and she was beside herself. That was March 15.”
She died on April 6, a few days before the couple could make it to a show together.
Carol Shannon, a 1965 Baldwin High School grad and former TWA receptionist, was 70 years old.
“She was an amazing woman, never complained,” Shannon said. “She laughed a lot. I fell madly in love with her all over again (while taking care of her when she was sick).
“There’s going to be so many memories created here by people, residents, visitors,” he said shortly before the big opening. “There’s going to be wonderful events in that facility and there’s going to be wonderful events out here.”
The new multipurpose gathering space has been in the works for quite some time.
Several picnic tables, benches and new lighting were installed. Landscape improvements included new trees, shrubs, flowers and other plantings. A new walkway was also created.
The work was done by Pittsburgh-based Vermont Stone & Horticulture for $93,424.
Construction began in July and took several months to complete. The theater was open during construction.
It became a collaborative effort between the theater and the borough. However, the project was fully funded by the borough and no grant funds were used.
“This needed to be done,” Shannon said. “They were reluctant to do it. A, they don’t have the money. B, they don’t want to project the impression they are spending contribution money on frivolous things. So, we stepped up we said, ‘We’ll do it if you give us permission.’
“We don’t need permission because it’s our land, but we didn’t want to do something against their will. I think it’s one of the best things that’s happened to Sewickley in a long time. This will be the most used space in Sewickley once people get to know that it’s here.”
The borough owns the land and the lawn that the theater sits on, but not the theater.
Council president Cynthia Mullins said the ribbon cutting was a culmination of a lot of work done by a lot of different people.
“This project has been on our wish list for about eight years,” she said. “We had a really good team working on the design. We brought it into completion and a very reasonable price. I think it’s going to be a really nice gathering spot for our community.”
The Tull Family Theater was renamed The Lindsay Theater & Cultural Center — or “The Lindsay,” for short — effective Jan. 1 ,2023. The change was part of a 10-year sponsorship by The Corry Family Foundation.
Several theater staffers dressed as various movie characters for the day’s celebration. Jedis Freya Gordon and Anna Campbell helped serve popcorn.
Carolina Pais-Baretto Thor, the theater’s CEO, thanked council and the community for its support.
“We’re really grateful for this gathering space, as the mayor called it, and look forward to hosting a lot of patrons and different events spilling out of the theater into this area,” Thor said.
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She believes people will enjoy the “beautiful community area” throughout the seasons.
“We’re very grateful that the borough will continue to maintain the space,” Thor said. “It’s nice that this is ready ahead of the holiday season, which is one of the busiest seasons for us.”