Update

The Restoration of the Colonial Theatre in Laconia, NH

/ Matt / 2 Comments

This post was originally posted on After the Final Curtain’s Patreon in September 2021.  For expanded early posts, as well as video walkthroughs and other exclusive content you can become a patron at: https://www.patreon.com/afterthefinalcurtain

View from the balcony before restoration.

Colonial Theatre Laconia, NH

View from the balcony after restoration.

I’ve been photographing theaters for long enough that many have been completely restored and reopened since I first visited them. The Colonial Theatre in Laconia, NH, is one of those I have documented before, during, and after restoration.

The lobby when I first visited the theater in early 2019.

Here’s the same shot that was taken in May 2021. I was told that these are close to the original colors of the theater.

Work began in March 2016, when the partitions divided the auditorium into four screens were removed. Fortunately, those who did this work left much of the original plasterwork intact behind the new walls. Belknap EDC brought in Evergreene Architectural Arts to restore the plasterwork and recreate some of the details that had been destroyed or deteriorated over the years. For example, the original fire curtain remains intact but needs some work before it can be used.

Orchestra Level (with my favorite fire curtain of all time) from early 2019.

A similar shot of the auditorium from May 2021.

The total restoration cost was $14.4 million, and the finished theater will seat 750 people, with 450 in the orchestra and 300 on the balcony. Spectacle Management of Lexington, Massachusetts, has been contracted to manage the theater. The official grand opening and ribbon cutting took place on August 27, 2021. In addition to bookings from Spectacle, the Colonial will be open to weddings, dance groups, meetings, and community productions.

Ticket Booth, Colonial Theatre Laconia, NH

The ticket booth in early 2019.

Ticket booth post-restoration.

The Colonial Theatre Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. Tickets to upcoming shows can be purchased at https://coloniallaconia.com/

 

Help With a New Project

/ Matt / 2 Comments

Building 51, Hudson River State Hospital – Poughkeepsie, NY.

Hi Everyone,

I’ve been working on a new project and could use some help from you guys. I’ve traveled across the country photographing abandoned buildings and have told some of their stories on this site. The project I’m working on is kind of a continuation of that.

I grew up in Dutchess County, NY which is the home of quite a few interesting abandoned locations, including the Hudson River State Hospital. I heard quite a few stories about that place over the years. One that has always stuck in my head was about a patient going missing from the hospital only to be found a day later with a shovel at the grave of FDR in nearby Hyde Park, NY. When asked what he was doing the patient replied, “I needed to ask President Roosevelt a question.”

Did that actually happen? I don’t know, and that’s a large part of what this new project will be about.

So, here’s how you can help – Tell me the stories you heard about the abandoned buildings in your area. It doesn’t have to be an old hospital. It could be a creepy looking forgotten house, or an old industrial building. Either reply to this post, or send me an e-mail at matt@mlambrosphotography.com. I’ll reach out for more information if your story is picked, and you may be featured in the new project.

(Don’t worry – AtFC isn’t going anywhere, and there will be another theater post on here shortly.)