Architect gives update on Opera House project

NORWAY— The Norway Opera House Corp. (NOHC) will take over the ownership of the Opera House within the next couple of weeks, architect Denis Lachman told a room of 20 officials, residents, and local business owners Monday night. The $1 million renovation project is expected to go out to bid in the late spring, and construction will be underway by summer.

"It went into its decline for a long time," said Lachman of the 1894 brick building. "The hope is that we bring the Opera House back to its former glory."

The town took eminent domain of the Opera House in 2010 after it was deemed a safety hazard. In 2007, part of the roof collapsed, flooding the six first-floor storefronts. The town has since stabilized the back wall, but the storefronts have remained vacant for a long time, said Lachman.

Norway voters accepted a $400,000 Communities for Maine's Future (CFMF) grant last fall to renovate the storefronts. The town is also working in partnership with Norway Savings Bank to use $440,000 in federal and state historic tax credits to pay for the work. If NOHC can raise an additional $180,000, Lachman said that the town will not have any long-term debt, noting that "it's an extremely fortunate position for a non-profit group to be in."

Work on the Opera House includes refurbishing the basement area, upgrading wiring and plumbing, and bringing the basement and ground floor up to code. All  historical aspects of the building, including the tin ceilings and built-in shelving, will be retained, and the building overall will be made more energy-efficient, said Lachman.

According to Lachman, Norway was one of 11 towns to receive the CFMF grant. Lachman met with Norway Savings Bank and NOHC Monday to review the paperwork that will provide them with the money necessary to move forward with the project.

"This is one of the better thought out projects I have seen in my experience," said Norway Town Manager David Holt, who expressed concern about who will rent the space when all is said and done.

"We need to start thinking about what we want to go there," he said.

The historic E. Howard clock at the top of the Opera House, and the 1894 bell that sits beneath it, will remain in the town's possession.

The first-floor storefronts will be taken over by NOHC in about two weeks.

"It's no longer a pie in the sky," said Lachman, about the progress being made. "It's a happening place. There's a buzz about it."