COSTA MESA : Grant Would Aid College’s Theater

Orange Coast College has received a $375,000 matching grant from the Harry and Grace Steele Foundation for revitalizing the Robert B. Moore Theatre.

The grant requires that the Orange Coast College Foundation raise an additional $375,000 for the project by July 31, 1992.

So far, the college has raised $565,000 for the three-phase project, and the $375,000 would have to be matched by new contributions. The first phase of renovation, which will add air conditioning, new seats, enhanced acoustics, new lighting, an upgraded electrical system and improved access for the handicapped, will cost an estimated $1.2 million.

The second phase will add a loft for the theater’s stage, and the final phase will include the addition of an enclosed lobby, new ticket offices and a complete remodeling of the restrooms.

The revitalization project was initiated in the fall of 1989 when OCC alumnus Albert Wong, co-founder of AST Research Inc. in Irvine and president of AMKLY Systems Inc., donated $140,000.