ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Editor’s note: On July 23, Asheville City Council unanimously approved moving forward with the contract to repair Thomas Wolfe Auditorium’s HVAC systems, which was part of council’s consent agenda.

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Described as “the most well known event venue in Western North Carolina,” the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium has been in need of some major renovations for many years.

Over 80 years old now, the auditorium that sits in Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville was forced to run at a smaller capacity when one of the venue’s HVAC units malfunctioned in 2023. For an event in July, the venue warned patrons that there would be “airflow throughout the seating areas resulting in a hot and humid feel throughout the space” and said free water and paddle fans would be offered during the show. Another show in November had to be canceled due to complications with the HVAC system.

These complications pushed the Asheville Symphony, one of the auditorium’s event clients, to find new locations for their 2023-2024 season.

“Our team was recently made aware of a significant problem with the HVAC system at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville (HCCA) Thomas Wolfe Auditorium that affects the ability to heat or cool the house of the auditorium,” the symphony wrote in its June 23, 2023 newsletter. “Parts to repair the HVAC system are not readily available, and HCCA has let us know that it may not be fully back online for at least 9 months.”

The symphony said it would not be able to make sure the stage’s temperature was maintained at a certain range in order to “ensure the safety and sound quality of musicians’ instruments.”

In April 2024, the symphony announced a three-year partnership with First Baptist Church of Asheville.

In October 2023, Asheville City Council voted to adopt an amendment to the city’s budget, approving $1.4 million in repairs for the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium.

Now, the city is considering moving forward with a general services contract with MB Haynes Corporation to repair and replace HVAC parts and equipment in the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. During their July 23 council meeting, council will vote on whether to allow the contract to go forward, which involves $205,000 plus 25% contingency for the repair and replacement of HVAC parts.

Documents from the city council’s agenda show two steps of a four-step process to repair the HVAC system have already been completed, with the potential contract with MB Haynes involving the third and “largest” step in the process.

Cris Corl, general manager of Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville, told 828newsNOW if the contract is approved, numerous parts in three different air handler units (AHUs) will be replaced in order to get them back up and fully running. Then, the venue’s ductwork will be fixed back to its original setup.

“Currently, as part of our temporary repairs in order to get back open as soon as possible, we had the ductwork rerouted in many locations in order to utilize the two AHU’s that we were able to repair quickly. I.e. we routed all of the ductwork from two AHU’s to cover the entire building, and we’ll be putting it back to how it was,” Corl wrote in an email to 828newsNOW.

July 23 city council meeting/venue change

Asheville City Council will meet in person at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, July 23, in the Banquet Hall of Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville, located at 87 Haywood Street. Click here to view the full agenda.

The city council meeting will be live on Charter/Spectrum Channel 193, streamed on the city’s YouTube Channel, or through the city’s Virtual Engagement Hub accessible through the front page of the city website.

Those who would like to speak at the meeting will be required to attend in person and must sign-up at the door. Additionally, comments can be directly emailed to council at any time at: ashevillenccouncil@ashevillenc.gov.

For more information about the July 23 meeting, CLICK HERE.