Yes, as some have commented online, Center in the Square IS moving away from a museum-heavy space to one based on interactive entertainment – in large part due to financial necessity. Gone from Center in the Square is The History Museum, the Art Museum – which long wanted its own space at what became the Taubman, the Harrison Museum now at Melrose Plaza – and the Science Museum of Western Virginia, which will not have its lease renewed at the end of this year. Center tenants that lease space don’t pay rent; Roanoke City provides arounds $200,000 a year towards that – but Center in the Square executive director Tara Marciniak says it takes 3.4 million dollars a year to run the longtime downtown Roanoke cultural hub. More from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
