2000 Rehabilitaion

Spurred on by the addition of collaborator Acorn Productions, a theater company displaced by the closing of the Oak Street Theater, the St. Lawrence announced its Parish Hall Theater Campaign in May, 2000, with the goal of raising $200,000 to build in a 100-seat theater projected to open May 3, 2001.


In order to accommodate both modern theater activities and the crowds that will watch them, the Parish Hall needed to be completely rebuilt.


The old, original Parish Hall stage that had supported community theater since the St. Lawrence was built in 1897. In the last decades of the old congregation's existence, the church had held services in the Parish Hall on the thrust in front of the stage (the sanctuary was too expensive to heat) and converted the stage to Sunday School classrooms.

 
The new water main for the comprehensive sprinkler and fire control system required by modern code requirements. The old St. Lawrence had no fire or safety systems - not even emergency exit signs.


A bathroom in the now lobby split the stained glass window in two.
The old stage could not accommodate modern theater needs. The rehabilitation effort rebuilt the entire stage opening and backstage area.
Along with rebuilding the stage and lobby areas, work also proceeded in the lower level of the Parish Hall with new plumbing and storm drains installed before a new floor could be laid down.
© St. Lawrence Arts & Community Center