Texas Execess

Cactus Cafe Could Be Moving To Alumni Center

Tags: , , , , , , , | Categories: Texas Excess Posted by Tim Taliaferro on 02/02/2010 11:08 AM | Comments (21)

The storied Cactus Cafe could be finding a new home on the University of Texas campus -- the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center.

Texas Exes CEO and executive director Jim Boon spoke with UT president Bill Powers Tuesday about the idea of incorporating the Cactus Cafe into a planned building expansion set for 2011.

University officials announced over the weekend that the Texas Union would be closing the Cactus Cafe in August due to budget cuts. Informal Classes, too, are set to end.

"We understand the financial pressure the University is under and recognize that it needs to be focused on delivering services to students," Boon said. "As keepers of the history and traditions of the University, we are always sensitive to experiences that touch students' lives and create memories for alumni."

President Powers is scheduled to hold a town hall meeting Tuesday on campus to discuss the proposed budget cuts, including the fate of the Cactus Cafe.

Reaction to the news of the Cactus' impending closure has been overwhelmingly negative, particularly from alumni. A Facebook group started over the weekend Save the Cactus Cafe currently has more than 13,600 members. University officials have defended the cuts as necessary.

The plan to move the Cactus Cafe to the alumni center would not involve helping Informal Classes.

If adopted, and there were no legal obstacles, the Cactus Cafe would keep its name. The alumni center has its own liquor license and could serve alcohol at performances.

The move could be completed and performances resumed as early as fall 2011.

Comments

Michael Barrett United States on 02/02/2010 12:52 PM I'd love to see it stay in that itty bitty room in the corner, but a new home is better than no home.  

What are the chances that the Union could be convinced to keep it as is until the new home is ready?  It seems reasonable that an offer of outside subsidy would be all it would take.
Rob T United States on 02/02/2010 1:09 PM I'm glad there is some openness to alternatives, but the reason that the Cactus is so beloved by musicians is that it is the best *sounding* room in Austin. Room dimensions, aging wood, fabrics, and other materials are integral to its wonderful acoustic properties. The sonic magic of that room can't easily be replicated in a new venue.

I'm not sure if Bill Powers and others making this decision are even aware of what a gem they have. Marketing the Cactus Cafe as "the best sounding venue in Austin", and selling live recordings from the space is one of many ways the Cactus could be rebranded to improve revenues.
Derek United States on 02/02/2010 1:45 PM Part of the appeal of The Cactus is being on the Drag in easy walking distance from The Hole in the Wall and Little Woodrow's. Drag businesses will lose revenue if UT shuts/moves the Cactus.

The parking around the Alumni Center is all tow away for non-permit holders. The Drag parking isn't ideal either, but there are tons of street spots and parking lots open to the public. The Alumni Center area is all permit only. Moving the Cactus there would kill it for good.

Travis Horne United States on 02/02/2010 1:50 PM A good start, but what about Informal Classes? Why the gap of nearly a year between start and finish? These are all illogical. We should just keep the Cactus open where it is. Tell Powers to dip into the general endowment, or we should form our own specific endowment for the Cactus.
Travis Horne United States on 02/02/2010 1:53 PM I have another idea: Let us Texas Exes just annex that part of the Union if they're unwilling to continue paying for it. I bet the Texas Exes could use the proceeds from the Cactus Cafe after it had been re-marketed to further our scholarship fund. The Cactus definitely has the potential to make money if that's the real issue, which it isn't, so we need to find out how to better deal with this. I say call for the firing of Wm. Andy Smith and his friend Mr. Gonzalez. They don't seem to be innovating at all.
Diane Selken United States on 02/02/2010 2:53 PM If the university can afford to re-open it in the alumni center, why not just keep it where it is?  As an alum, I am willing to contribute to rent space in the Texas Union.  
James G Stuart United States on 02/02/2010 3:09 PM The Cactus Café is perhaps not aligned with the University's core mission of academics, but then that is also true for the six other performing arts venues. That being the case UT should outsource the historic musical icon to a 3rd party concessionaire that can easily keep that space filled every night and day, providing lucrative and predictable revenues, as well as intelligible advanced ticket sales. Either that or sell it off entirely.

That the University of Texas does not know how to market the Cactus Café has been obvious for some time. However that does not diminish the value of the internationally revered venue and brand assets. If the room is not commanding $1.5 million in annual ticket sales, that could only be due to horrific management.

As for other UT cost cutting ideas, I suggest selling off the Littlefield, East Mall, (and the nine other) Fountains as they are far less associated with the campus' venerated image, and certainly drain more than $1.5 million in annual power and water consumption plus maintenance. Unfortunately there would not be so many vendor offers for those amenities.

Sincerely

James G. Stuart
Austin, Texas
Tim Taliaferro United States on 02/02/2010 3:16 PM If the Cactus Cafe were to move to the Alumni Center, it would be run by the Texas Exes -- not the University. All costs associated with operating the Cactus Cafe would be handled by the alumni association.
Rob T United States on 02/02/2010 3:56 PM @Tim:

Why can't the Texas Exes lease the current space from the University? The acoustics, vibe and history of the room itself is a big part of what makes the Cactus special.
Todd United States on 02/02/2010 3:58 PM Also need to find a way to keep Griff Luneburg on staff and active in the music scene during any down time for the Cactus.

Griff knows who to book and the artists know and trust Griff.  He is part of the magic...
Tim Taliaferro United States on 02/02/2010 4:03 PM @Rob T I don't think that is out of the question, but I haven't heard it brought up yet. Will forward that along and keep you posted on what gets decided.
Derek United States on 02/02/2010 7:28 PM I like what other people are saying about Texas Exes leasing the existing Cactus Space. Ex-students deserve at least a small corner of the Union.
Susan Kessler United States on 02/02/2010 10:26 PM The Texas Exes do have a small corner of the Union.  The name of every Texas Exes president since 1885 is inscribed on the ceiling beams of the Presidents' Lobby - an acknowledgment, perhaps, that it was the Texas Exes that raised the funds to build the Union in the first place. I'm proud that the organization continues to fulfill its mission of service to The University.
Rob T United States on 02/02/2010 10:37 PM @Tim Thanks for passing the suggestion along and keeping us updated.

@Todd That's a good point. The Cactus would not be the beloved venue that it is within the music world without Griff's curatorial direction.

I hope that there is a way to better engage the students in the curatorial process so that they feel more connected to the venue. Austin City Limits has been very effective in modifying its programming to appeal to younger tastes without compromising quality.
Bobby United States on 02/03/2010 12:18 AM The long time Cactus employees likely won't want to loose their University retirement benefits. If they have to officially quit being a UT employee and become a Texas Exes employee, I don't see them making the move. And honestly, it's the Cactus team's personal contacts that get such great acts to come play. I think the big artists would skip the new Cafe if the same Cactus people weren't involved.
Audrey United States on 02/03/2010 3:42 PM At the risk of sounding change-adverse, I don't support moving the location because so many important qualities of the current Cactus cannot be recreated.  I am thrilled to hear about the Texas Exes interest and influence, and strongly encourage the organization to work towards keeping the Cactus Cafe in it's existing spot.
sydney rubin United States on 02/08/2010 7:52 PM Could the Texas Exes vote to allocate a certain percentage of their membership dues specifically to the Cactus?  Long-term, an endowment is needed to avoid this fight every few years.  But since UT raises funds earmarked for all kinds of specific purposes, why not this?  And why not through the alumni association? It is just the people of Austin who cherish the Cactus Cafe, it is UT alumnus most of all.
Facebook Smileys United States on 05/19/2010 5:11 AM Could the Texas Exes vote to allocate a certain percentage of their membership dues specifically to the Cactus?  Long-term, an endowment is needed to avoid this fight every few years.  But since UT raises funds earmarked for all kinds of specific purposes, why not this?  And why not through the alumni association? It is just the people of Austin who cherish the Cactus Cafe, it is UT alumnus most of all.
Facebook Smiley United States on 05/19/2010 5:11 AM I was very pleased to find this site.I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post.
Gabriel United States on 05/23/2010 11:10 PM I could not believe Cactus Cafe is moving. I love hanging out in that cafe and I especially love their food!

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James G Stuart United States on 05/27/2010 1:53 PM Show Ticketing is a major issue why the Cactus revenues are not what they could be.

Per their policy:
"Tickets are sold at the door unless otherwise noted on the Cactus event calendar. Tickets are sold on a first come, first served basis with no advance sales unless advertised."

This may have been fine in distant yester-years, but these days e-ticketing is easy to arrange and serves customers very well. It really sucks to drive an hour to the Cactus to see a favorite artist, only to find a huge line; ... and then to find out (1) that they sell out the show just before you reach the door after waiting 90 minutes, -or- you wait 90 minutes only to find out that they posted a small "sold out" sign on the ticket desk long before you even arrived; ... BUT no one told anyone about that! Cactus' ticketing policied are archaeic, unprofessional, disrespectful, and have kept more people from becoming return customers.

That said, if you can manage to get in the door, it's still the best singer/songwriter performance venue in Austin.

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