A tremendous amount of work has already been completed inside the theatre throughout Act I.
Much work is anticipated, now, in Act II. A visit to Main Street now reveals the return of the Academy’s vintage 1946 marquee, at the time an amalgam of the canopy which covered the entrance in 1912 and postwar neon design. This work was funded by generous grants from Lynch’s Landing and Virginia Main Streets, for which we are enormously grateful.
Initial work began in February as steel framework was fabricated and installed as the first step. The structure took shape as the roof and cornice was installed, followed by the highly decorative glass flaps and globe fixtures, fabricated locally by Lightsmith. Lightsmith also reproduced the marquee, which rests atop the canopy.
In a combined effort of Academy management and CJMW Architecture Inc., the full restoration is now being broken into three work packages within Act II.
Package One’s construction will focus on the stabilization of exterior walls, modification of roof trusses, general re-roofing, reworking of auditorium seating bowl and support structure, and exterior brick repointing, cornices, windows and restoration of portions of the Main Street façade.
Check back for more details as we progress.