Holland Theatre restoration, renovation project begins in January
A view from the Holland Theatre’s balcony of the auditorium area, which will be under construction in the first part of 2019 for the $1.29 million project, including the replacement of all the seating, improvements to the stage floor and lighting and sound, along with refurbishing the historic building facades. (EXAMINER PHOTOS | MANDY LOEHR)
ALSO PICTURED IN MONDAY’S EXAMINER: Chris Westhoff, left, and Kris Swisher stand in front the outer lobby ticket booth area that will be refurbished during the renovation project and restored to its original use.
ALSO: Drawings by BEASLEY ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN showing a green room space for performers complete with dressing rooms, restrooms and shower space will be installed in the basement area of the theater; Ticket windows in the outer lobby that were used in the Holland Theater’s early days will be restored, and a new concessions area will be installed to serve theater patrons; The 17th Century Dutch historic building facades and background murals will be restored by decorative finish contractors.
Audience members who first visited Bellefontaine’s Holland Theatre during its opening days in the early 1930s dressed in their Sunday finest for their movie-going experience, and were no doubt enthusiastic about the chance to spend a few relaxing and entertaining hours in the special setting.
Throughout the 1920s, many elaborate movie palaces with velvet-covered seats and crystal chandeliers were built in locations across the United States, with many of the themed atmospheric theaters featuring Italian or Greek architectural elements. However, the Holland Theatre was at the time and still today is the only known Dutch-style atmospheric theater in the country, and perhaps in the world.
The facility built by Schine Enterprises in 1931 includes a 17thcentury Dutch cityscape in the auditorium, with two working windmills and brick and timberframed facades that were careful reproductions of known buildings in the Netherlands — one of which was the family home of the theater’s architect Peter Hulsken.
Ever since those early times, countless productions and performances have taken the stage at the 127 E. Columbus Ave. facility, enjoyed by much of the community and visitors to the area.
Read complete story in Monday’s Examiner.
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