Coldwater’s historical Tibbits Opera House saved by the community
Tibbits Opera House, the second oldest operating theater in Michigan, has been through a massive three-phase restoration and now that it’s completed it’s turning around the way people look at downtown Coldwater.
Saturday, April 27 the community celebrated the completion of the project with a dedication described as “quite a shindig.” The event included the premiere of a film documenting the entire process to restore the theater built in 1882.
“People are really recognizing they have something special here and are enjoying the attention this restoration has brought to the community,” says Christine Delaney, Executive Director from Tibbits Opera House. “I believe it’s already started to make a difference in development in the downtown and I hope to see development in the adjacent building that’s crying out for restoration as well.”
The completion of the third phase of the rehabilitation of the 129-year-old building stands as a testament to the organizations, businesses and volunteer efforts of many and to the determination of the community to restore and preserve this building for generations to come, Delaney says.
The restoration effort began in earnest in 1998. The project cost $3.3 million, most of which was raised through private donations. The final phase of the project, the facade restoration cost approximately $1.1 million. Many architects, woodworkers, craftsman and subcontractors have contributed to the end result.
The project has even drawn attention from Gov. Rick Snyder. The 2013 Governor’s Awards for Historic Preservation was awarded to Grand Rapids-based construction management firms Owen-Ames-Kimball and Grand River Builders, Tom Roberts Architects of the Detroit area, the Tibbits Opera Foundation and Arts Council, Inc., and the greater Coldwater community (a community of nearly 11,000 people). A recognition ceremony took place May 1 in the Michigan State Capitol Rotunda.
The nearly 500 seat Tibbits Opera House is the Center for the Arts and Entertainment in Coldwater. It is home to year-round entertainment from professional theater and concerts to community events and children’s theater. Through the years it has hosted such diverse productions as circus side shows, vaudeville, wrestling, and even funerals. The Boston Symphony Orchestra, John Phillip Sousa, Otis Skinner, John L. Sullivan and Ethel Barrymore are among those who have performed at Tibbits.
Funding for the Tibbits Opera House comes primarily from memberships in the Tibbits Opera Foundation which are open to individual and corporate supporters.
Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media
Source: Christine Delaney, Tibbits Opera House
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