DARLINGTON - After more than 60 years of disuse, a Darlington landmark is on its way back to its former glory.
The Driver Opera House has stood abandoned on Main Street in Darlington since 1951. The century-old building was condemned as unfit for its intended use and has since served as mere storage space.
However, thanks to several grants and donations, work has begun on the Opera House to restore it to its former glory.
Stan Krahenbuhl, president of Driver Opera House Restoration, Inc. - a non-profit organization created to raise money and contract for the building's restoration - said work began on restoring the opera house in late June.
"There's already been some complications, which is to be expected with a building like this," Krahenbuhl said. For example, he said, soil beneath the building is contaminated by decades of runoff from old industrial sites.
"It's not hazardous - it's mostly just old fuel and lead and petroleum - but it still has to be dealt with," Krahenbuhl said.
The restoration project is the crystallization of 10 years of preparation and research, said board member Leona Havens.
"People wanted to restore what is a historical landmark," Havens said.
The opera house was built in 1883 and hosted theater and dances in its second-floor auditorium until a St. Patrick's Day dance in 1951.
"At that dance, the fire chief was there and he decided the floor was too shaky for gatherings of that size," Krahenbuhl said.
Fundraising for the project began in 2010, and the project received a $555,000 grant from the Department of Natural Resources for flood mitigation.
Krahenbuhl said nothing else can be done to the building until flood mitigation is complete. Because the opera house was built in the floodplain of the Pecatonica River, it cannot be insured unless flooding countermeasures are introduced.
In this case, Krahenbuhl said, the flood mitigation will take the form of a brick "bathtub" beneath the opera house that will contain floodwaters.
When flood mitigation is complete, restoration work will begin on the ground floor of the building. Havens said the ground floor served as retail space before the building was condemned and will, ideally, serve the same purpose when it is restored.
"We'll be reclaiming as much of the original materials as we can," Krahenbuhl said. Although the interior of the building is decrepit, its structural integrity is sound, particularly after reinforcements of the floors and ceilings.
Krahenbuhl said the ground-floor restoration will hopefully be completed by December, although he acknowledged that delays are common with this sort of project. Where the project goes from there depends on one thing: money.
"If we can keep getting donations, we can start work on the upper level," Havens said. The upper level, which contains the stage and an auditorium space for up to 400 people, will cost about $1.4 million.
Havens said the project has received $400,000 in donations, along with nearly $600,000 in grant money. Most of this money, however, has gone to the lower-level restorations, which alone cost nearly $1.3 million.
However, both Havens and Krahenbuhl were optimistic about raising the money. Havens said the project has already received inquiries about the venue from theater groups and individual's looking for a non-denominational funeral location.
"There's a lot of camping in the area, and the way I see it, somebody in any camping group is going to be interested in going to a local theater," Krahenbuhl said.
Havens said the project will be a boon to the wider Darlington area.
"People are going to come to see the opera house, but then they'll stay in the area for local food and camping," Havens said.
The Driver Opera House has stood abandoned on Main Street in Darlington since 1951. The century-old building was condemned as unfit for its intended use and has since served as mere storage space.
However, thanks to several grants and donations, work has begun on the Opera House to restore it to its former glory.
Stan Krahenbuhl, president of Driver Opera House Restoration, Inc. - a non-profit organization created to raise money and contract for the building's restoration - said work began on restoring the opera house in late June.
"There's already been some complications, which is to be expected with a building like this," Krahenbuhl said. For example, he said, soil beneath the building is contaminated by decades of runoff from old industrial sites.
"It's not hazardous - it's mostly just old fuel and lead and petroleum - but it still has to be dealt with," Krahenbuhl said.
The restoration project is the crystallization of 10 years of preparation and research, said board member Leona Havens.
"People wanted to restore what is a historical landmark," Havens said.
The opera house was built in 1883 and hosted theater and dances in its second-floor auditorium until a St. Patrick's Day dance in 1951.
"At that dance, the fire chief was there and he decided the floor was too shaky for gatherings of that size," Krahenbuhl said.
Fundraising for the project began in 2010, and the project received a $555,000 grant from the Department of Natural Resources for flood mitigation.
Krahenbuhl said nothing else can be done to the building until flood mitigation is complete. Because the opera house was built in the floodplain of the Pecatonica River, it cannot be insured unless flooding countermeasures are introduced.
In this case, Krahenbuhl said, the flood mitigation will take the form of a brick "bathtub" beneath the opera house that will contain floodwaters.
When flood mitigation is complete, restoration work will begin on the ground floor of the building. Havens said the ground floor served as retail space before the building was condemned and will, ideally, serve the same purpose when it is restored.
"We'll be reclaiming as much of the original materials as we can," Krahenbuhl said. Although the interior of the building is decrepit, its structural integrity is sound, particularly after reinforcements of the floors and ceilings.
Krahenbuhl said the ground-floor restoration will hopefully be completed by December, although he acknowledged that delays are common with this sort of project. Where the project goes from there depends on one thing: money.
"If we can keep getting donations, we can start work on the upper level," Havens said. The upper level, which contains the stage and an auditorium space for up to 400 people, will cost about $1.4 million.
Havens said the project has received $400,000 in donations, along with nearly $600,000 in grant money. Most of this money, however, has gone to the lower-level restorations, which alone cost nearly $1.3 million.
However, both Havens and Krahenbuhl were optimistic about raising the money. Havens said the project has already received inquiries about the venue from theater groups and individual's looking for a non-denominational funeral location.
"There's a lot of camping in the area, and the way I see it, somebody in any camping group is going to be interested in going to a local theater," Krahenbuhl said.
Havens said the project will be a boon to the wider Darlington area.
"People are going to come to see the opera house, but then they'll stay in the area for local food and camping," Havens said.