Renovation and Production Season Coincide at Opera House

by Amy Kolb Noyes

HYDE PARK - The old Hyde Park Opera House has been retrofitted for a new
state-of-the-art sprinkler system. The state-mandated sprinkler is the
first in a string of renovation projects that will coincide with the
upcoming production season.
Lost in Yonkers, the Players' first show of the season, opens May 14.
While the sprinkler system may not be completely installed by that time,
the project will not be immediately apparent to audience members. The
pipes for the system have been run in the attic of the Opera House. When
the project is finished, only small sprinkler heads protruding from the
ceiling will be seen from inside the auditorium proper.
North Country Fire Protection, of Essex Junction, is installing the
sprinkler system. The crew working at the Opera House is accustomed to
working on historical structures. The Hyde Park Opera House is the third
historical building they've worked in, in the past few months. They
recently installed sprinkler systems at the Vermont Granite Museum, of
Barre, and the North Hero Courthouse. Crew chief Frank Harris said the
Opera House is in exceptional condition for a building of its age. He
noted the century-old building is "very clean" and there is no apparent
infestation of unwanted inhabitants, as they found in North Hero.
"This is the best shape building we've done in a long time," Harris
commented. "The last one was full of bats and bees."
The three-man crew has finished roughing out the system. The project is
now on hold until an H.A. Manosh Corp. crew comes in to install a
waterline feeding the Opera House from the water main, on the opposite
side of Main Street. Once the water is hooked up, the North Country crew
will return to install a pump to bring the water up to the attic level.
They will also install the sprinkler heads once the system is "live,"
according to Lamoille County Players board member John Dunn.
Dunn said recent fundraising efforts were successful enough to pay for
the sprinkler system and other work required by the state in a recent
fire safety inspection. He said LCP will also be able to finish work
started on the Opera House windows.
The six large windows in the auditorium proper were recently restored.
Dunn said they will finish the work on those windows this season by
repainting and reglazing them and adding weather stripping and storm
windows. In addition, Dunn said the Players will be restoring the other
dozen windows in the Opera House this season.
If there is still money available after the sprinkler and windows are
complete, Dunn said the next project on the list would be to reupholster
the balcony seats.
"That would be one of our last really big restoration projects," said
Dunn. He added he is looking forward to the day when all the Opera House
will need is routine maintenance.