The Fredonia Opera House

  Martin, Janette.  "Restoring a Landmark," Jamestown (NY) Post-Journal, 28 October 1994.
        The Post-Journal website:  http://post-journal.com/

A Landmark

At The Nearly Complete Century-Old Fredonia Opera House, All The World's A Stage
     By Janette Martin

   Fredonia- A decade of inspiration, creative thinking and elbow grease has gone into the painstaking restoration of the Fredonia Opera House, a century-plus-old architectural beauty that once again has the charm of days gone by.
   Saturday, Nov. 12, is a day of major triumph for the community.
   The premiere gala celebration, "Fredonia Onstage!" is already a sellout, a from-the-wallet compliment to the Fredonia Preservation Society and the volunteers who wouldn't give up, who said "yes" to every discouraging "no."
   The premier will include performances by Das Puppenspiel, the Madrigal Singers, the D&F Players, Collage Dance, the Newton Street Irregulars, and Joy and Pullano, according to David Munnell, management consultant.
   For those unlucky enough not to have a ticket for the gala, guided tours beginning Nov. 8 and continuing throughout the week will offer visitors a chance to be dazzled by the interior.
   Costing approximately $1 million to complete, the Opera House project was originally conceived by the Preservation Society in the 1980s. The members won the debate against razing the building, and volunteers banded together to make the restoration dream a reality.
   Built in 1881, the Opera House was an early home to theatrical performances, debates, concerts and minstrel shows.
   In the first quarter of the century, it was transformed into a movie theater. During this time, the large windows were plastered over and dim lighting was installed. The conversion to a darkened movie theater sent the intricate architectural detailing into the shadows for decades.
   Today, the shadows have been cast aside.
   The theater is topped with an original and magnificent gold-painted dome decorated with patterned grillwork. It is decked out in burgundy, green, gold and brass. The seating is restored from the 1926 Heywood-Wakefield collection, and there are two styles - cushioned with new fabric and foam, those with curved wooden backs.
   The stage has elements of high victorian whimsy, art and splendor. It's dressed up with rosettes, gold braiding and pressed tin.
   Organizers say one of the biggest challenges was the pressed tin ceiling.
   The pattern was unusual, according to Jim Boltz, Fredonia Preservation Society trustee, and no current suppliers had it in stock. A company was hired to reproduce the pattern and the sections of ceiling. The company named it "The Fredonia Pattern."
   Volunteers took an extremely active role in the restoration, and performed most of the work besides the wiring, plumbing, heating and other technical aspects, said Boltz.
 

10/31/2003