After over three years of raising over $700,000 for our stage-rigging replacement project the work has finally begun. This huge project includes, in addition to the rigging replacement, new catwalks, fly floors, ladders, etc. AND A NEW CURTAIN -- modeled after the original!

This past week Rognlin's, Inc. covered the stage floor and moved in this huge snorkel lift. The proscenium opening is covered with with sheets of plastic, and the stage entrance door has more plastic and construction tapes running over the door. I couldn't help myself, so I went in with my camera and made my way through the plastic and found this amazing creature on the stage. I was in awe. I have no idea how they got this on the stage, and it's probably best that I don't know.

Many volunteers showed up a few weeks ago to remove everything we could off of the stage (the movie speakers were especially difficult). The biggest obstacle has been: What do we do with the movie screen? The plan is that we will move it up against the back wall, with help from Rognlin's, and cover it with fire-resistant tarps. There will be welding going on and we needed to protect the screen from flying welding embers.

My next project: take pictures of the movie screen covered in tarps, and hopefully be there to take shots when it's being done.

Labels: restoration, rigging, Rognlins, stage

The week of September 30 through October 4, 2008 has truly been a display of amazing dedication on the part of numerous people (all of them volunteers!) who helped remove 997 original seat backs, cushions and armrests at the 7th Street Theatre. Volunteers showed up on Tuesday and Wednesday completing over half the job, and on Saturday the job was finished.
Please take a moment view the pictures in our album to appreciate the enormity of this project. Walking through the seat-free auditorium is like walking back in time to 1928, when "1100 of the finest type upholstered seats" were installed.
The seats were hailed as "the newest and most comfortable design" and were made by the Hayward-Wakefield Company of New York. Notably, the 7th Street's seats were similar to those installed in the famous Roxy Theatre in New York. (Hoquiam American, Feb. 9, 1928). On July 8, 1928, the Grays Harbor Washingtonian published this enlightening tidbit: "For comfort and convenience there are no stairs to trip the unwary foot; the heavy carpetings still the footsteps; the seats, especially designed for the 7th Street Theatre, are wide and comfortable and so placed there is no need to crane one's neck to see the stage or screen. And there is no awkward crowding or stepping on toes to reach the center seats."
Much discussion was held over the past few years on the best approach to "restore or replace." There are several reasons behind the decision to restore the seats, the most important being that the 7th Street Theatre is an entirely unique theatrical venue in the Pacific Northwest. It is one of the last remaining "atmospheric" theatres, and is mostly in its original condition. The theatre was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, and by restoring the seats the theatre stays in line with the standards for historic buildings.
Another aspect is that more than half of the seats are tiered -- placed on "steps." This construction doesn't allow the seat to be spaced forward or backward to increase leg room. The acoustics in the 7th Street are absolutely amazing (sort of like being inside a musical instrument), and many people feel that the wooden seat backs help with this aspect and to replace all seats with padded seats and backs would absorb the sound and diminish the acoustical properties. In any event, we felt it would be a travesty to this national treasure to remove the original seats, which have seated generations of Harborites for the past 80 years. The seat supports will be refurbished, all the cushions will be restored and the backs refinished.