SLIGHTLY OFF THE MARK
Years ago I
shopped at a place called Excel Home Furnishings on the north side of the Noble County Courthouse square. I liked
wandering around the second floor, because they’d installed enclosed bridges
that allowed the furniture to be displayed not only in the original building,
but in two other neighboring ones.
(I have no
explanation for why I love exploring sprawling areas like that. It’s why I keep
getting lost at the State Park … and the mall.)
In one of
those buildings most of the upstairs was open, and there was a big raised area,
like a stage. For someone who lived in a utility apartment at the time, I
thought it was really cool.
It turned
out to be even more cool when one of the employees showed me a normally closed
off area, where we could see the outer walls and roof. There they were, plain
as day: Charred wood and smoke stains. At one time in the distant past, he explained,
the building had burned.
That was my
introduction to the Albion Opera House.
Now the
building is for sale, and there’s a push on to save it. Save it from what, you
say? Well, my first guess would be parking lots. There’s not enough parking in
downtown Albion, but if all the old brick buildings were knocked down and
turned into pavement, there wouldn’t be much reason to park there anyway.
I think it
should be saved, so my rich readers should contact Phyllis Herendeen at the
Unique Boutique in Albion, or by e-mail at pjhere@ligtel.com.
What do you
mean, I don’t have any rich readers?
I know what
you’re thinking: “But Mark, you hate opera.”
True. But I
like orchestras, which performed there, and I love movies, which were screened
there. Other people like sports: Basketball games were once played in the Opera
House. Suppers, musicals, dances … it was an armory during World War 2, and for
a short time in the 1880’s it housed the Noble County Government. Maybe they
even had operas there. Just ask Linda Shultz, who wrote a book about Albion’s
history long before I did. (What, you thought I was original?)
But the
reason I want to see the building saved dates not back to its construction
before the 1880’s, but for something that happened to it in 1931 – something
that should have ensured its destruction.
Considering
the story I started with, I suppose no one is in suspense.
Consider
not only the fire, but the times: It was January 16, 1931, when someone noticed
the flames at about 11 p.m.
Only a year
earlier the Albion Fire Department got their first motorized fire truck, a 1929
engine. When fire broke out in the large two story brick Opera House, and
threatened to spread to other nearby structures, that was the first apparatus
out of the firehouse two blocks away.
Second came
a Ford pickup truck, on which had been mounted the chemical engine that was
originally horse-drawn. The Ford also towed a 1910 era two wheeled cart, which
had mounted on it 350 feet of hose. A second, rarely used reserve hose cart
held 200 feet of hose, and was probably hauled to the scene by hand at this
moment of crisis.
That was
it.
Soon the
chemical engine ran out of chemicals to pressurize water. Chief John F.
Gatwood, his two Assistant Chiefs and eighteen volunteers were left with one fire
engine, which could in a best case scenario supply two fire hoses. Did they
call for help from other towns? Sure. But how long did it take other volunteers
to go ten or more miles on 1931 roads, at nighttime in the middle of January?
In case you
haven’t read Smoky Days and Sleepless
Nights, I’m not going to spoil you on whether they managed to save the
Albion Opera House. But I do think that the building is worth saving today.
Well,
shoot.
Okay, forget the spoiler thing. The
Noble County Democrat newspaper
office on the first floor was saved, and by the first week of February
contractors named Moore and Thomas started work on remodeling. Twenty-seven
local businessmen each donated $100 to rebuild the second floor, putting in a
brand new arched roof and a bigger stage. The place was open for business in
two months.
So yeah, I
think it’s worth saving: not only for the historical aspect, but because we
already saved the thing once, doggone it. And while it’s going to take more
than a hundred bucks apiece, I can’t help thinking an effort by local citizens
to restore the place would be worth it.
Personally,
I’d like to own the building myself. It would be cool to have a big open air
apartment upstairs and maybe downstairs a little museum in front and my writing
office in back. But I also think it would be cool to keep the bills I already
have paid, so we’ll have to go to Plan B.
Does anyone
have a Plan B?
Just the basic look of the place tells me it's well worth saving. There's history there, and that's to be valued.
ReplyDeleteIt's in pretty good shape for its age -- which is more than I can say for myself.
DeleteI'm with you, Mark. This building should be saved. Just looking at the pic of it told me there's a history there.
ReplyDeleteYep -- people in Europe would laugh at the idea, but to us there's a lot of history!
DeleteI nothing else, it could be a Starbucks!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhy not?
DeleteMy question is saved for what? I'm just curious as to what it will be used for???
ReplyDeleteThis coming Friday it's going to be the location of "Christmas at the Village" activities, but beyond that, all the buyers know is that they want this unique piece of history preserved ... we're all hoping it becomes useful again.
Delete