Many of those gathered had recollections of the Troc. Councilman Frank DiCicco remembered standing outside as a teenager, hoping one of the burlesque dancers would toss a smile his way. Store designer Charles Broudy, hired by the CCD as a consultant for the store owners, said he remembered, ahem, the burlesque comedians. Joanna Pang had her memories as well. Her father owns the building, and, as a child, she'd come for the Chinese movies and run around in the maze of tiny back rooms in the grand-domed theater.
Every small project turns monumental.
She said that when she and her sister returned from New York to run the building, they wanted to do everything they could to restore its former grandeur. They created a wish list that, due to overwhelming expense, remained just that, a wish list. The molding includes charming busts surrounded by a flourish of marble wreathing. The Trocadero is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the only 19th century Victorian popular theater intact in the United States, according to Center City District officials. Pang was grateful for the cash infusion, but said half-jokingly that it had a drawback.