Published Sunday, Aug. 29, 1999
A tour group walks on scaffolding to the dome ceiling of the Columbia Theatre in Sharon. The theatre has been in the process of being restored since the mid-1980s at a cost of $1 million. The 77-year-old theatre needs between $6 million and $8 million to complete renovations. (Jean Neice/Herald)
Pam Voisey, Columbia Theatre executive director, explains some of the renovations and original designs of the vintage vaudeville and movie theatre, which first opened Nov. 29, 1922. Volunteers and contractors have been in the process of restoring the theatre to the look of its heyday. So far, three roofs and a front facade have been installed and a new $180,000 ceiling is in the works. (Jean Neice/Herald)
|
This past Thursday people gathered to tour the Columbia Theatre, which opened Nov. 29, 1922 and closed in 1981 after a fire, and see the progression of its restoration.
Led by Pam Voisey, executive director of Columbia Theatre Inc., the tour included several people who remembered seeing shows or movies in the theatre's heyday.
"They used to have ushers with flashlights on Saturday nights," one woman said.
Mrs. Voisey said the theatre at 82 W. State St. was the most elaborate between Erie and Cleveland.
Looking at it now with its scaffolding, coffee cans of nails and pieces of plaster of paris, one has to imagine the former splendor of the old building.
The theatre was closed in 1981, when fire destroyed the adjacent Rembrandt Photography studio which housed the theater's hallway entrance.
The theater was not damaged by the blaze, one of the largest in Sharon's history, but suffered a great deal from weather and lack of maintenance throughout the years, Mrs. Voisey said.
In 1984, Tony Butala, a Sharon native and founder of the vocal group The Lettermen, bought the building and donated it to Columbia Theatre Inc. The group plans to reopen the Columbia as a community entertainment center.
Currently Columbia Theatre Inc. offers live theatre productions for children and adults as well as classes.
The theatre was built in the Italian Renaissance style with the entire interior made of plaster. It began as a home for live performers but in 1940 Warner Brothers bought the building and began showing movies.
Mrs. Voisey said prominent entertainers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Tommy Dorsey, Perry Como and the Marx Brothers performed there. One man recalled seeing Jack Benny perform.
"This was the place to be," Mrs. Voisey said.
Currently, volunteers and contractors are working to make the plaster for the walls. In the bowels of the theatre volunteers worked with molds to create the look of the original theatre.
An up-close look at the 450-pound original chandelier on the second floor of the Columbia Theatre was a must-see during tours offered this month. (Jean Neice/Herald)
|
She said the group has invested $1 million in the project, adding it's hard to say when the project will be finished because they don't have the $6 million to $8 million needed.
Mrs. Voisey said if they had all the money in hand tomorrow it would take 18 months to finish the theatre.
She said the group is currently conducting a market survey to determine how many seats the theatre will need.
They are constantly working on the design and soon crews will begin demolishing the side walls.
