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Local officials on Friday celebrated the groundbreaking of an annex behind Morvilius Opera House in Fort Recovery.
FORT RECOVERY - Fort Recovery Friends of the Opera House, along with various area officials Friday morning, celebrated the groundbreaking of an annex behind the Morvilius Opera House.
While the official construction work should begin in the next couple of weeks, the ceremony was a welcomed step forward for the large ongoing restoration project at the opera house.
The new addition will house an elevator and a foyer space, allowing the venue to be Americans with Disability Act compliant. The annex was funded through various local public and private donations, as well as funds received through the state capital budget, according to Friends of the Opera House president Kim Rammel.
"Once this addition is built, we'll be taking a huge step forward in making this (restoration project) a reality," Nancy Knapke, who sits on the board of directors for the Fort Recovery Friends of the Opera House, said. "The addition being built on this location will house a vital elevator, which will make the Opera House accessible to all."
Local officials on Friday celebrated the groundbreaking of an annex behind Morvilius Opera House in Fort Recovery.
Knapke said the addition also provides a foyer space for attendees to enter the shows and other cultural events.
Rammel added the group hopes to have the annex complete sometime next year.
Fort Recovery Friends of the Opera House in the spring replaced 14 windows at the venue and restored the subfloor, increasing the load limits.
Mercer County Community Development Director Jared Ebbing had said the county helped the organization apply for and receive a $250,000 Target of Opportunity grant through the Community Development Block Grant program. The Fort Recovery Friends of the Opera House matched the grant with $68,000.
Fort Recovery Friends of the Opera House continue to make sizable renovations to the Fort Recovery Morvilius Opera House.
With those dollars, Ebbing had said they had replaced the opera house roof and fixed some exterior brick. The remaining funds went toward the window replacements, as well as minor electric and HVAC upgrades.
The group has also received a $500,000 state capital appropriation and more than $2 million in donations.
When the opera house is brought back to life, members hope to host live productions, children's theatre and small musical performances. They also hope the building can be home to speakers, business meetings, baby and wedding showers and possibly act as a wedding venue.
The organization purchased the building in December 2020. Built in 1883, the opera house is hidden on the second story of a former business on North Wayne Street.
Russell Morvilius, a prominent businessman, bought the opera house in 1898 for his daughter, Fay, when she was 8 or 9 years old, and changed the name to the Morvilius Opera House, Friends of the Opera House board member Karen Meiring had said. The venue closed in 1939.
Fay Morvilius was the protégé of the well-known Victor Maurel of New York. After finishing her musical training, she became a renowned mezzo contralto vocalist throughout major cities in the U.S. and Europe, performing for kings and queens there.
Local officials on Friday celebrated the groundbreaking of an annex behind Morvilius Opera House in Fort Recovery.
