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August 2001: Volunteers pose on stage with tools and hard hats to kick off
the restoration project
August 2001: ARTT president Paula Menn prepares for the TV interview
announcing the start of the restoration. Filmed on Main Street, the
interview for La Crosse channel 8 was set up to show the theatre in the
background across the street.
August 2001: A temporary table in the lobby holds blueprints for the project.
August
2001: One big volunteer project is the excavation of the area under the
stage. This space will give actors the means to leave the stage on
one side and re-enter on the other side. It can also be used for storage of stage
materials. In the future additional dressing rooms can be housed here.
August
2001: In
the basement, lots of old ductwork and parts of the old heating system are removed
August
2001: Workmen make way for the plumbing in the new restrooms by removing
the old chimney.
August 2001: In the basement workmen dismantle old ductwork to make way
for new ventilation system.
August 2001: The ladies' room, broom closet, and men's room are demolished. This area will house the two new handicapped-accessible restrooms.
September 2001: Donna and Ken Arnetveit and Judy Gates work evenings removing crumbling plaster to help the project move more quickly.
December 2001: A temporary floor over the theatre seats allows workmen to erect scaffolding and ladders to repair the vaulted ceiling.
December 2001: Look closely and you will see where the newly replicated
frieze is joined to the old frieze at the top of the theatre house side wall.
Portions of the original frieze were missing due to deteriorations from water
damage while the theatre stood abandoned.
December 2001: New plaster on the vaulted ceiling is ready for decorative
painting.
December 2001: Under the temporary flooring, the lower parts of the theatre house walls are repaired and re-plastered.
December 2001: New stage lighting will be installed where
the black band is cut into the ceiling.
January 2002: The sides walls originally had a gilded frieze at the top and ten gilded plaster boxes to house light fixtures that shine upward on the ceiling. Four of these were destroyed or badly damaged over the years and had to be replicated by the artisan plasterers.
January 2002: Another view of the north wall and vaulted ceiling shows the painting progress. Temporary lighting makes photography of true colors difficult.
January
2002: A lobby view shows the arched entry on the left that leads to the
new handicapped-accessible restrooms. The temporary stairs lead up to the
platform over the theatre seats.
January 2002: The proscenium arch takes on some of the original 1922 colors. The green will be washed with gold.
January 2002: In the north-west corner of the theatre house, repairs to
the plaster trim and decorative painting restore a badly water-damaged area.
January 2002: The side walls of the theatre house now are decorated with sections in dark burgundy that will be will be stenciled in gold as the painting continues.
January 2002: ARTT treasurer Fred Nelson learns the art of plaster mixing.
Fred is serving as our volunteer supervisor while Ken Arnetveit enjoys the
Arizona sun for a few months.
January 2002: Craftsman Fred Rhyner of Valda Plastering Company carefully replicates missing bows to add to the decorative screens on both sides of the stage.
February 2002:
A close-up shows the uniqueness of our beautiful chandeliers.
February 2002: Both chandeliers are returned to their original positions in the ceiling of the theatre house. An expert in stained glass was consulted about the project and replicated one broken pane in each fixture. He tells us the fixtures are unique and very valuable.
February 22, 2002: Senator Mark Meyer receives a tour of the restoration project. Pictured with Senator Meyer, from left to right, are ARTT volunteers Judy Gates, Beatrice Small, and Sharon Stoleson.
February
2002: Decorative painters glaze and then gild the bows and rosettes on the
grill work in the left corner of the theatre house.
February 2002: Volunteers work to restore the two beautiful theatre house chandeliers. At one time the fixtures had been covered with black paint. Volunteers had removed most of it several years before the official restoration project began. An additional week's work sees the last remnants of paint scraped, years of grime removed, and the original gilded finish replicated.
March 2002: Stenciling begins on the side insets in the theatre house.
March 2002: The stencils will decorate the insets all the way to the floor when the temporary platform over the theatre seats is removed. The stenciling of the top half is only partially completed in these two photos.
March 8, 2002: The Viroqua Rotary Club tour the theatre. The restored chandeliers and decorative painting on the ceiling caught the eyes of some of the members.
April
2002: Wallpaper and ceiling tiles are added to the new lower lobby.
April
2002: The original and elegant 1922 fire curtain is lowered in
preparation for cleaning.
April 22, 2002: The staging platform is finally removed. Now
work on the lower half of the theatre house can progress.
April
26, 2002: With the staging finally removed, the seats can be uncovered
and cleaned. Decorative painting to the lower walls can also be
finished.
April 2002: Stenciling on the upper part of the side walls nears completion.
April
2002: Foam board covered with fabric is installed on the back wall
of the theatre house to improve sound quality for live performances..