Monday, December 31, 2007

Lifts





Painters and plasterers begin work on the ceiling and walls of the theater using lifts.

Friday, December 28, 2007

Margaret Shaw-Romanes



Director of Development Melissa Burtless takes a tour of the theater with longtime volunteer Margaret Shaw-Romanes and Individual Giving Officer Courtney Balok

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Roof Truss

To allow the removal of a pair of columns left in the balcony by the removal of our projection booth, a truss was designed to carry the roof load to the outside walls of the theater. The photos below show its installation.


Portions of the roof truss over the rear of the balcony are put in place by crane.

The truss is covered over in a layer of insulation.



The truss is covered in a layer of sheet metal and awaits its final layer of roofing.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Digging Out the Pit - Video




The last of the pit is cleared out so the forming of the walls and floor can be completed.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Skylight






A few views of the skylight on sunny days during construction this summer and fall.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Work Overhead




One of the construction crew sets drywall on the ceiling.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Orchestra Pit Construction, Part 4 - Video


The side walls of the pit are shored up while the concrete sets.

Work continues on the back wall of the orchestra pit.




See Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3


Also, see the photos of the excavation before the pit construction began:
Part 1
Part 2

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Column Stripping - Video






The construction crew works on lifts in the atrium, doing the final preparation of the solid cypress columns for pickling. The pickling process will give the columns a light color, while leaving the graining of the wood exposed.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Theater Floor - Video






These photos show the theater floor being prepared for re-pouring. The new theater layout will meet current requirements of the American Disability Act, and provide better sight-lines for many seats in the house.

Friday, December 14, 2007

2nd Floor Lobby, Part 3





Drywall, painting, and trim work progress in the new second floor lobby which will be named the William G. Selby and Marie Selby Foundation Lobby, in honor of the Foundation's generous support of the Building on the Vision campaign.

See Part 2 and Part 1

Chester and Ann Hryniewicz



Chester and Ann Hryniewicz tour the theater with Sarasota Opera Controller Ken Kwiatkowski

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Crane, Part 2





The crane which was assembled here, is used to lift ductwork into the attic of the Opera House.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Atrium Scaffolding






Scaffolding is setup in the atrium to allow plaster work to be done.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Orchestra Pit and Theater




An early view of the William E. Schmidt Opera Theater and the Alisa and Ernest Kretzmer Orchestra pit from the stage of the Opera House.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

McCorkle Lounge Plastering - Video

A plaster texture is applied to the drywall in the third floor McCorkle Lounge.



The view from the corner of the McCorkle Lounge, looking towards the Atrium.

Friday, December 7, 2007

Orchestra Pit Construction, Part 3





As the front wall of the orchestra pit is completed and preparations begin for pouring the theater floor, work goes on finishing the rear walls and floor area of the pit.

See Part 1 and Part 2.

Also, see the photos of the excavation before the pit construction began:
Part 1
Part 2

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Atrium Columns




Workers patch up the atrium columns to prepare them for pickling. This process will give the columns a light color and leave the wood graining exposed.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Roofing




Workers install the roof flashings and prepare to start replacing the terracotta tiles.

Box Office, Part 4




Work continues on the Box Office in the theater lobby.

This ticket window will open an hour before curtain to provide convenient service before shows, while the Box Office in the Pavilion will continue to operate normal hours.
See a full timeline of the Box Office progress below:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Friday, November 30, 2007

Ray of Light




Sunlight pours into the theater while equipment is being loaded into the attic through an access door in the roof.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Paint Stripping



A member of the construction crew goes to work with a heat gun and scraper, to clean years of paint off the 1926 solid Cyprus columns around the atrium.

See a video of the work here.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Construction Tour


Executive Director Susan Danis tours the theater with past Board Chair Edward Bavaria, his wife Jane, and their friend Joan Stonecipher.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Crane, Part 1


One crane is used to attach an extension to another crane.

Large air conditioning duct segments are lifted to the roof of the theater
for installation in the attic.