By Kate Bartlett
The 1891 Fredonia Opera House Performing Arts Center is currently undergoing necessary renovations in order to create more comfortable seating and refresh the theatre’s appearance. These updates will take place over a 6-week time span, with the anticipated reopening date for an event on March 1, 2025. All renovations have taken historic preservation into consideration, maintaining the time period during which the theatre was built.
its 30th year since the restoration, and has
been operating year-round since November
1994, presenting around 105 performances
annually. In order to best meet the needs of
the community, it became necessary to replace
the small, uncomfortable seats. Once
the seats were removed and the more than
3,300 screw holes in the floor were filled,
Chautauqua Flooring began the process of
sanding and refinishing the floors.
First, the seat bottoms and backs are removed and stacked in piles,
leaving the stands like soldiers in a row awaiting removal.
Rick Davis is the current Executive Director for the Fredonia Opera House and has been involved with the theatre for 19 years. He describes the building as historically significant and a cultural gem in the area. The Opera House is located in the Fredonia Village Hall, comprising about half of the building, opening originally in 1891. It fell into disrepair and was at risk of being demolished in the early 1980s. At this time, it was known as The Winter Garden Theatre. Thankfully, the building was saved through the help of a grassroots effort in the community.
The Fredonia Preservation Society was formed in 1985 and raised funds to help restore the theatre. The group embarked on a fundraising campaign, and raised over $1.2 million, a very significant amount at this time, but still not quite enough. Through the hard work and dedication of the society and tens of thousands of community volunteer hours, the theatre was slowly renovated over the course of 9 years.
The Fredonia Opera House just celebrated its 30th year since the restoration, and has been operating year-round since November 1994, presenting around 105 performances annually. In order to best meet the needs of the community, it became necessary to replace the small, uncomfortable seats. “The most complaints I heard were about the seats,” says Rick. The seats were originally installed in the 1920’s and are 15-18 inches wide. By comparison, seats installed today in most facilities are 20-24 inches in width. All 444 seats will be replaced with wider, fully upholstered seats. The new seating layout will also include greater distance between rows, where possible, to increase patron leg room. As part of the project, the floors will be refinished and painted, filling penetrations from existing seats after their removal.
Since the theatre will be closed during seat upgrades, the board decided to complete additional renovations at this time. “We opted to replace our 30+ year old main stage curtain with a new one that offers motorized control of opening and closing,” says Rick. The theatre will also undergo construction for a dedicated area for wheelchair and companion seating. One complete row will be eliminated to allow for more leg room between rows. “The new seats will retain a historic look and feel, but will afford modern comforts expected of today’s patrons,” says Rick.
“We had hoped to use our original decorative cast iron ends on the aisle seats throughout the theatre; but that would require significant retrofitting for them to work with the new seats’ mounting mechanisms”, explains Rick. “We are therefore purchasing new cast ends that somewhat resemble the existing ones. They will be painted using the existing colors to pay tribute to the theatre’s history.”
Rick describes how these upgrades are important in maintaining the building. “The 1891 Fredonia Opera House is a cultural gem in the area. Our community members are invested in maintaining this building. These renovations will help provide modern amenities, while maintaining the historical significance of the building, offering an elevated experience to our guests.”
For more information visit fredopera.org, visit the Opera House located at 9 Church Street in Fredonia, email: operahouse@fredopera.org, or call (716) 679-1891.