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Schumer Proposes Official National Designation For NCC

From left, Tom Benson, National Comedy Center chairman, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Journey Gunderson, National Comedy Center executive director, looking at one of the interactive exhibits at the National Comedy Center. The grand opening of the center is slated for Aug. 1 during the Lucy Comedy Fest. P-J photos by Dennis Phillips

A couple of jokes were told by the U.S. Senate minority leader while visiting the National Comedy Center, but he wasn’t pulling anyone’s leg while proposing new Congressional legislation.

On Friday, Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., announced at the National Comedy Center that he is proposing a resolution in the U.S. Senate to have the future national attraction based on the “celebration of comedy” to be the nationally recognized center for comedy.

The National Comedy Center, which was built in honor of the vision of Jamestown native Lucille Ball, will serve as a landmark that celebrates America’s rich comedic history. Schumer said this official designation will help solidify the facility as a civic landmark and cultural institution, and the premiere “National Comedy Center” of the United States.

The designation will allow the center to build on the success of other upstate New York tourist attractions such as the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown. Schumer said with the official designation it opens up opportunities to receive grant funding. He added that he hopes the legislation will pass Congress before the grand opening of the facility, which will take place Aug. 1 during the Lucy Comedy Festival.

Schumer said the center will employ 32 people and is expected to create nearly 200 spin-off jobs with a $23 million annual economic impact. He said the annual comedy festival hosts about 20,000 people and has been visited by famous comedians including Jerry Seinfeld, Joan Rivers, Jay Leno and Nick Offerman. Schumer said the designation is “vital” to the center’s continued growth while pointing out that the Jamestown National Comedy Center is the only museum of its kind with the mission of preserving, protecting and showcasing the art of American comedy and its role in culture.

Schumer said he hopes to propose new legislation that would nationally recognize the comedy center.

“The economic impact of this center is no joke at all,” he said. “It’s just the shot in the arm Jamestown needs.”

The National Comedy Center, located at 203-217 W. Second St., will pay tribute to the art of American comedy through all eras, mediums and genres. Once completed, the 37,000-square-foot, $50 million facility tells the story of comedy from its origins through the present, with more than 50 immersive, interactive exhibits.

Each visitor will experience a personalized trip through the center as exhibits reflect one’s personal comedic sensibilities via use of a bracelet fitted with an RFID chip worn throughout the stay.

Highlights of the collection include George Carlin’s massive personal archives that provide a glimpse into one of comedy’s most prolific minds; a hologram theater that presents performances of some of comedy’s most notable figures; and experiences that allow visitors to step into the shoes of a stand-up comedian.

Additionally, the center will feature rare artifacts from some of comedy’s greatest names.

Schumer said when he discusses comedians like Jerry Lewis or Dean Martin with younger adults they don’t know those classic stars. However, he said that is not the case when it comes to Lucy.

“Every one knows Lucille Ball and that she is great,” he said.

Design of the museum and the repurposing of Jamestown’s original 1930 art-deco Jamestown Gateway Train Station was provided by some of the most prominent cultural and interactive design firms in the world, whose portfolios collectively include the award-winning 9/11 Memorial Museum, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the College Football Hall of Fame, Saturday Night Live: The Experience, Universal Studios and more. The center will celebrate comedy in all of its forms, educating and engendering in visitors an appreciation for the art form and its artists.

Ground was first broken on the project in 2015. Schumer noted his successful push for $1.7 million from the Economic Development Administration, and $5 million in net benefit due to New Market Tax Credits for the center. In addition to this federal funding, the National Comedy Center has also received $10 million from New York state, with private donations from the Gebbie Foundation, the John R. Oishei Foundation, the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, the Lenna Foundation, Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation, the Johnson Foundation and the Jessie Smith Darrah Fund.

Schumer said the National Comedy Center will “shine a spotlight on Jamestown as a global comedy destination.” In addition, he said the new Congressional designation will help the project cross the finish line by allowing the center to be officially recognized as the “National Comedy Center.”

“As the birthplace of the iconic Lucille Ball, and the home to the annual comedy festival, Jamestown is an epicenter of comedy in the nation, and is the perfect home for the National Comedy Center,” he said. “I know this organization will become a cultural institution, attracting visitors from far and wide, creating jobs and injecting millions of tourism dollars into the region. I am incredibly proud to play my part in helping to secure the official designation and I believe that this institution will become a national attraction and a smash hit.”

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