In 2012, the Cincinnati Memorial Hall Society (CMHS) led the revitalization of Memorial Hall, resulting in its comprehensive renovation completed in 2016 by the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC), CMHS, and Hamilton County.
Extensive improvements were made to increase audience and performer comfort, modernize amenities, and enhance performances. The renovation included new, larger restroom facilities, a new HVAC system, new and more comfortable seating, the addition of a contemporary catering kitchen, and backstage crossover space for performers.
But there’s always more to be done to preserve this gem of a theater! Although $11.2 million was spent on the renovation, it was not enough to address every aspect of the building. When a structure is more than 110 years old, maintenance must be an ongoing process.
You may have noticed that the light bulbs on the proscenium arch above the stage and the beautiful Tiffany glass chandeliers have been increasingly going dark. Changing these bulbs is not as easy as it may look.
This is a complicated issue with many dimensions:
• Theatrical Tech and Bulbs – Because the theater uses sophisticated technology to dim all of the lights in the theater, it requires a special kind of bulb. Unfortunately, the bulbs that were specified when the renovation was completed have been discontinued. The company Memorial Hall uses for theatrical technology, ETC, has recommended a new combination of lighting dimming system and bulb to maintain high standards.
• Plaster and Sockets – The sockets and wiring inside the proscenium arches are largely the same wiring from 1908. Moreover, the shape of light bulbs was different when they were first installed. The socket depth and plaster rosettes (decorative rings) around each bulb were suited to an elongated bulb. Put simply, modern bulbs can’t reach the recessed obsolete sockets.
• Access to Chandeliers – When the building opened in 1908, a pulley system was used to lower the four Tiffany glass chandeliers to the floor for the light bulbs to be changed. That system disintegrated over time. When the building was renovated, floor-to-ceiling scaffolding was installed to give access to the chandeliers. Without the scaffold, no bulb-changing extension or lift is able to reach these bulbs.
In order to fully light up Memorial Hall:
1) The theater must replace the dimming system for the proscenium and house lighting.
2) Memorial Hall must buy new bulbs that will perform effectively with that system.
3) Scaffolding must be built to access the proscenium.
4) A plasterer must remove the rosettes to allow access to electrical components.
5) An electrician will then install contemporary wiring and light sockets with appropriate depth.
6) The plasterer will reinstall the rosettes.
7) A painter will touch up the areas around the rosettes.
8) A rigger will install a new pulley system to lower the front two chandeliers to the ground to allow them to be changed. An electrician will install a long “tail” of cable to allow the chandeliers to travel.
It is projected that this two-week project will cost approximately $60,000 with the following budget:
Proscenium Arches
New Dimming System: $10,000
New Bulbs: $4,500
Scaffolding: $6,800
Plaster Work: $13,500
Electrical Work: $20,000
Painter: $2,000
Chandeliers
Pulley System: $2,500
Electrical Work: $500
TOTAL: $59,800
Please consider a donation to help keep the proscenium Lights On at Memorial Hall! Even a small gift will go a long way toward ensuring that our treasured venue looks as fantastic as the day it opened nearly 120 years ago.
Donations to nonprofit Memorial Hall are also fully tax-deductible.
Click here to donate online, call the Memorial Hall box office at (513) 977-8838 (Tuesday – Friday, 1-6 p.m.), or mail a check payable to “Cincinnati Memorial Hall Society” to 1225 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202.