This undated photo provided by architect Bill Otwell via The Daily Courier shows the intact 1920s-era marquee of the Elks Opera House in Prescott, Ariz., including the sockets for the bulbs that highlighted the old sign. (AP Photo/Bill Otwell via The Daily Courier)
PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) — Fortunately for the Elks Opera House, the workmen of days-gone-by usually took the most expedient route in their renovations.
“They tended to just add things, and they didn’t subtract,” local architect Bill Otwell said of the construction work that occurred through the years on the 1905 Elks building.
Otwell speculates that the add-on tactic was simply the easiest way for workers to get the job done, rather than an attempt toward preservation.
Even so, it is good news for the current Elks restoration — especially the marquee that sits out front.
While Otwell said he had suspected that the 1920s-era marquee might remain under the modern rock work that decorated the Elks entryway since the 1970s, no one had any idea what condition the original structure would be in.
So, it was with some jubilation that workers recently uncovered a totally intact former marquee, complete with sockets for the traditional theater light bulbs.
“I was a little surprised — it was just in better shape than we anticipated,” Otwell said this week.
For the past month, scaffolding has been in place at the Elks’ Gurley Street entrance to allow for the removal of the old schist rock that workers applied in 1973 or 1974.
Even though the marquee that was underneath the rockwork is not the original 1905 entrance, Otwell explained that it was in place since the 1920s, and is therefore historic in itself.
The marquee, which includes the words “Elks Theatre,” likely went up to accommodate the arrival of movies, Otwell said. It replaced the former unadorned brick entrance that was a part of the 1905 building.
The 1920s version also included a balustrade at the top — a feature that Otwell said would return with the restoration.
The restored version also will incorporate the look of the bare light bulbs that were a part of the 1920s sign.
Prescott Historic Preservation Specialist Nancy Burgess notes, however, that the original bare bulbs no longer meet safety codes, so renovators have been searching for a safer replacement.
As an alternative, Otwell said, the project would use LED bulbs, which, along with being safer, are also more energy efficient.
Along with the discovery of the intact marquee, the demolition work also uncovered the native granite that fronted the original building.
Because the long-ago workers installed a framed wood wall over the original rock, Otwell said, “It was like a time capsule.”
Even as work progresses on the marquee, the restoration also continues inside on a variety of features, including the opera boxes, the proscenium arch over the stage, the balcony and the seating.
The theater renovation plans got a major boost in 2008 when the Harold James Family Trust contributed $1 million to the Elks Opera House Foundation’s efforts. The City of Prescott later allocated $308,000 for the cost of the fire-sprinkler system.
Early on, it appeared that the project would end up excluding a number of aesthetic items, because of the higher-than-expected cost of a fire-sprinkler system.
But the Elks Opera House Foundation has continued raising money for the project, and in recent weeks the contract amount has gone from the original $1.2 million to about $1.4 million, allowing for the addition of the marquee restoration.
“I’m happy that we made it all the way to the street,” Otwell said, noting that without the marquee restoration, the work would have occurred largely on the interior.
Officials expect the Elks construction to be complete by April 2010.
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Information from: The Daily Courier,
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
