ST. CLOUD - Bob Johnson, director of the Paramount Center for the Arts in downtown St. Cloud, has announced he will step down from his position at the end of August.
Johnson, 74, a former St. Cloud City Council member, in 2015 took over direction of the 800-seat historic Paramount Theatre, as well as multiple visual arts studios and gallery spaces. Before that he spent more than four decades in the health care field, including more than 20 years as executive director of what is now the CentraCare Heart and Vascular Center in St. Cloud.
When he first started at the Paramount Center, Johnson said, "I was very excited. I was almost 67 years old. I thought, 'I can do this for five years or so and hopefully do something good for the community.'
"Well, I got to year five and I loved it. Got to year six — loved it. Seven — loved it. So here I am starting my ninth year, and there's a lot of other life I need to experience."
The organization's board of directors will consider options for Johnson's replacement in the coming months.
Johnson, who lives in St. Cloud, has a large family he said he wants to spend more time with, including 11 (soon to be 12) grandchildren. He said he also wants to spend more time exploring hobbies such as ceramics and painting.
Johnson plans to continue his community involvement as chair of the new St. Cloud Downtown Alliance, board member of the Good Earth Food Co-op and trustee at the Cathedral of St. Mary.
"I'm not going to be far away," he said. "And I will be a Paramount promoter forever."
During his tenure with the Paramount Center, Johnson spearheaded a successful fundraising campaign to replace seats in the theater and the yearlong celebration of the theater's 100th anniversary in 2021.
And despite COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, the organization is almost back to pre-pandemic participation levels, he said.
"I would guess that about 10 percent or 15 percent of arts organizations like ours in the country closed. There was lots of damage," Johnson said. "We were fortunate. We have a very good team. We wrote a lot of grants and got some federal money to keep people working. And the result is we are in very good shape from a financial perspective."
St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis said Johnson has been instrumental in honoring the theater's historical significance while understanding the changing audiences for arts and entertainment.
"Bob will be truly missed in the capacity of running the Paramount. There are very few theaters that operate in the black and they've had very challenging years with COVID," Kleis said. "He's helped create a gem in our downtown."
