Menominee Opera House work ramping up

MENOMINEE, Mich. - In 1902, J.C. Penney opened his first store, AAA was founded for automobile drivers, and in Menominee, Michigan this opera house was built.

• Photos: Rebuilding Menominee Opera House

"I think it's important to, you know, maintain the history of the city," said Bill Huntley with the Menominee Opera House Committee in October 2011.

That fall, when FOX 11 visited with Huntley, the committee was working to raise funds to restore the landmark damaged by fire in 1950.

Now people can actually see the work being done as they pass by.

"Since then we've excavated the front of the building, got a bunch of brick repair, foundation repair, you know our focus now is more on stabilizing the building," Huntley said.

Workers are removing the top rows of brick and installing a modern wall with a decorative cornice that will look like the one on the original building.

"This has been an amazing project and the best part is now we get to do the finish work on the outside, you know, kind of the fancy stuff," said Getchell Builders president, Bill Getchell.

The committee received a $75,000 grant from the state of Michigan to help with that phase of the construction, but still needs funds for other parts of the project.

Huntley says the new "Adopt a Floor Joist" program will help. People can buy a length of timber for $79.

"A person that buys a joist will know that in the future they're going to walk up the steps an stand on the floor that they helped pay for," Huntley said.

As renovation work continues on the exterior of the opera house, the inside of the building remains relatively untouched, although it's part of the $15 million master plan.

While the interior of the opera house is far from complete, Huntley hopes to kick off something called "Theatre in the Ruin" by this summer.

"Probably a small musical group and we'll probably literally have the audience will carry their own lawn chair in, let's say, and bring their own cooler and you know sit inside the old theater," Huntley said.

Huntley adds as more begins to happen at the opera house, he believes interest in the project will build and the committee will slowly be able to expand its work.

So far, the committee has raised a quarter million dollars for the renovation. It is being completely paid for with fundraising dollars and no city taxpayer money.