Chemical Grouting

To solidify soil around and under walls and columns in the theater before the orchestra pit was dug out, specialized equipment was brought in to inject chemical grout.

Collar Installation

An important step in preparing to dig the orchestra pit was to make some modifications to the proscenium arch columns. In the photos below you can see the creation of a "collar" at the bottom of the column, which ties to chemically solidified soil below.

Skylight Demolition

Second Floor Lobby

Here is a sequence showing progress on the new second floor lobby area.

Open Atrium

The main atrium with the skylight removed

Pit Preparation

Before digging out the new orchestra pit, the contractor made some preparations. In the top photo, chemical grouting equipment can be seen in the background, injecting a compound into the soil under the theater walls to solidify it. In the bottom photo, the steel plates in the foreground conceal a new sump pump installed to keep the excavation area (and the orchestra pit when completed) dry.

Youth Opera Placement Classes

The new season of Sarasota Youth Opera is approaching. Placement classes for the fall term will take place Thursday and Friday, August 23 and 24. Students interested in being in the program need to attend both classes which are held from 4:45 to 6:30 p.m. in the Deane Allyn Pavilion building of the Sarasota Opera House.

The program admits all who apply, regardless of skill level and provides vocal and acting training. No one is turned away. Tuition for the program is $125 per term. Partial payments can be arranged and there are a limited number of scholarships available. The Fall Term runs through late December. The Spring Term begins in early January and ends in mid May.

Highlights of the 2007-2008 season will include concerts in the fall and the American premiere of Dean Burry’s The Hobbit on May 9 and May 10.

For more information, contact Karl Hesser, Director of Education, at (941) 366-8450, ext. 249.

Lobby Work, Part 3

Lobby Work, Part 2

In these photos, you can see the lobby at its most open and in the first steps of rebuilding. expanded footings were poured for the columns, and then steel reinforcements were added, thickening the columns.

Lobby Work, Part 1

Here is the first of a three part post showing some of the work that has gone on in the lobby.

Sarasota Opera on ABC 7 News

For a short video segment on the renovation by ABC 7 News, including comments from Project Architecht Killis Almond and Project Manager David Otterness, follow this link. The video link is at the bottom of the page and requires a free download of Flash Player. The segment aired last night at 5:30 pm on ABC 7.


Also, check out some of the websites of the great firms working on the Opera House renovation:

Architect - Killis Almond and Associates and Abell Garcia Architects
www.almond-architects.com
www.abellgarcia.com

General Contractor - Willis A. Smith Construction
www.willissmith.com

Theater Planners - Schuler Shook
www.schulershook.com

Structural Engineers - Jenkins & Charland Engineers
www.jcengineers.com

MEP Engineers - TLC Engineering
www.tlc-engineers.com

Geotechnical Engineering - Ardaman and Associates
www.ardaman.com

Rigging - Texas Scenic
www.texasscenic.com

Curtains - I Weiss
www.iweiss.com

Seating - Irwin Seating
www.irwinseating.com

Acoustician - Jaffe Holden Acoustics
www.jaffeholden.com

Sound System Design - Cabida
www.cabida.com

Surtitles - Figaro Systems
www.figaro-systems.com

Paint Research - Restoration Associates
www.restorationassociates.com

Exterior Lighting Design - Gallegos Lighting Design
www.gallegoslighting.com

Theater From Above

Another photo of the theater from the side of the balcony, which has been demolished down to the structural steel.
(by Sarasota Opera Major Gifts Officer Jennifer Berges)

Tombstone Window

Facilities Manager Chris Burtless inspects a tombstone window, uncovered during the demolition.

Opera Club and McCorkle Lounge

A view across the atrium to where the Opera Club will return on the second floor and where the new McCorkle Lounge is taking shape on the third floor.

Ray of Light

The sun peeks through a gap in the temporary cover on the atrium