LEAD, S.D. (AP) - Another phase in the process of renovating the Historic Homestake Opera House is on its way to completion with the refinishing of the north wall of the theatre interior.
A new understructure for the wall has been built, insulation has been installed, and new sheet rock has been attached. Plaster decorative moldings patterned on the original moldings have also been applied, the Black Hills Pioneer reported .
Opera House Executive Director Sarah Carlson calls the newly renovated section “wall number two” and it is located on the left as one faces the stage.
The wall is now ready to paint. When finished in September, it will give the theatregoer more of a sense of what the opera house experience was like before the fire in 1984.
“The two lower wall projects are a demonstration of what the theatre will look like,” said Carlson.
The total cost of the north wall project is $35,000, of which $30,000 has been raised so far.
The north wall has also been nicknamed the “Ed Ross Wall.” A kickoff donation of $10,000 was made by Ed and Teen Ross’ family, which has a long connection to Homestake. Ed was a Homestake engineer. Ed’s wife, Teen, was a dancer and performed several times on the Homestake Opera House stage. The Ross Shaft in Lead is named after Ed’s uncle, Alec Ross, who was superintendent of the Homestake mine for more than 25 years.
Other donors have also stepped forward to help fund the north wall restoration.
Past renovation projects have dealt mainly with the foyer and the connecting rooms. But most of the current and future projects will be concerned with the theater. Much remains to be done.
“Right now, we need money to replicate the bronze light fixtures,” said Carlson.
Only one of the original light fixtures, attached to the walls, survived the fire. That single remaining fixture will be used as a pattern to build new ones. Carlson said she hopes they can be built and installed before the end of the year.
In 2018, the square proscenium arch over the stage, with its angel sculptures and other decorative moldings, will be rebuilt and refinished. Currently, the arch consists of bare brick and moldings still blackened by the fire.
The interior ceiling of the theatre still needs to be finished as well. Right now, the bare ceiling joists, beams, and braces are exposed, but are usually disguised during shows and concerts by decorative suspended nets or light strings.
The Homestake Opera House and Recreation Building was built by Homestake Gold Mine in 1914. At its completion, it had a swimming pool, a bowling alley, and a billiards room. It also was the original location for the Phoebe Apperson Hearst Library.
On the afternoon of April 2,1984, a fire began in the pipe organ room of the theatre. The flames spread into the curtains, through the walls, and into the rigging above the stage. From there, it spread into the building’s attic. Firefighters were unable to stop the flames before the roof collapsed. Roof timbers crashed to the floor, which in turn, collapsed into the swimming pool below the theater.
The damage was so extensive that some thought the building was a total loss.
Since then, however, a community movement to renovate the building has raised more than $3 million, and a new roof, new seating, and many other improvements have been made. For some time now, it’s been possible to hold regular concerts, plays, and other events in the theatre.
But the complete restoration will require more money. Some will hopefully come through matching grants from the Deadwood Historic Preservation Fund and the South Dakota Historical Society.
The Historic Homestake Opera House Society has also created several named giving opportunities.
To read all of today’s stories, Click here or call 642-2761 to subscribe to our e-edition or home delivery.
___
Information from: Black Hills Pioneer, https://www.bhpioneer.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.