Opera revival

Fort Recovery Morvilius Opera House has sat empty since the late 1930s.

Now, after nearly 85 years, it’s getting a makeover.

The Friends of the Opera House committee is raising funds for restoring the second floor of the 138-year-old Brockman Appliances building to its former glory.

Construction on the two-story building finished in 1883. About 15 years later, Russell Morvilius bought the opera house for his daughter, Fay, a traveling singer and performer. Fay Morvilius studied at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and performed in Europe and on the Chautauqua circuit. After her father died, she retired to Fort Recovery for the remainder of her life.

In its prime, the opera house held high school graduations, meetings and other town activities. Local residents and traveling acts also performed plays, concerts and vaudeville shows on its stage. In the ’30s, Fort Recovery built a school gymnasium, decreasing the need for the opera house as an open space. The rise of automobiles and the cinema also diminished the demand for opera performances, and soon business at the building came to a stand still.

In 1976, the hardware store below caught on fire, but the opera house floor wasn’t damaged.

Besides being used as a storage space, it’s been virtually untouched for all this time.

Its walls were originally painted to look like the opera houses in Europe, with upperclass ladies and gentlemen depicted as sitting in the audience. Someone tried to wallpaper over the art years ago, which may have helped to preserve it.

Along with original wood floors and a patterned ceiling, there are also original backdrops and ceiling racks on stage. Signatures from past performers are scrawled on some of the backdrops.

The opera house once seated 200 on the main floor and 50 on the balcony. (The stage has two small dressing rooms on either side for performers.)

Recently, the opera house committee purchased the second floor from Mike Brockman, owner of the business Brockman Appliances located on the first floor. It is also patching the leaking roof.

Committee members are now raising funds to replace the windows and installing new heating and cooling systems, all of which is part of the first phase of the restoration plan, according to committee president Karen Meiring.

They’re working with Jared Ebbing, the Mercer County director of economic development, to apply for a Target of Opportunity grant through the Ohio Office of Community Development. The grant is aimed toward funding projects and activities that don’t fit within the structure of existing programs.

Friends of the Opera House committee is also applying to get in the national historic register.

“When I look back to March or April — we’ve accomplished so much,” Meiring said of the restoration progress. The committee hosted an open house in December and tours to garner community support.

The committee met last month with an art restoration expert, who showed them how to clean without damaging the original wall designs.

Some of the other planned changes include adding updated electrical wiring, removing wallpaper attached to the walls and ceiling, sanding and re-finishing the yellow pine flooring, replacing the water-stained center stage and adding curtains and stage lights. The committee is also hoping to add an annex to the west of the structure that may include restrooms, a kitchenette and a new elevator.

Currently, the room has no bathrooms or public elevator. There is a lift to the appliance store below that was put in the ’70s, but it isn’t very secure and hasn’t been used in a few years, Meiring said. She estimated it will take at least five years to complete the renovations.

They’re also asking the community for donations to help toward the cause. Those in the village mailing area have been sent information about signing up for the patron program, which will give naming rights to patrons for different portions of the floor.

Committee members have also opted into a debit/credit system, DipJar, which they plan to rotate through businesses in town. The machine allows those in the community to make cashless donations.

Meiring said the goal is to create a place for the community to gather.

“Gosh, I have a list of about 20 things we could use this for, but we don’t want it to be a museum,” she said.

She listed several options, including silent movies, small weddings or receptions, baby showers or concerts. A children’s theater summer program could be hosted there as well, she added.

“We don’t want it to just be a place where concerts and plays are,” she said, listing other potential activities such as lectures, Farmers Institute meetings and special events pictures with the Easter Bunny.

“Being in the heart of downtown, it’s the perfect spot.”

The committee also wants to feature Fay Morvilius’ life along with the opera house bought for her lifestyle.

Helen LeFevre works on the committee and created a display about the opera house history and the Morvilius family for the walkthrough museum at Krenning Park. She said she’s thrilled about restoring the old venue.

“You just can’t find anything like that for miles around,” she said. “We’re just so lucky that no one destroyed it over the years, that it’s still in the shape it is … I just think when it’s all done, it is going to be a focal point for our community.”

Those interested in donating toward the cause or learning more can reach out to the committee via the Fort Recovery Morvilius Opera House Facebook page.