Post by karina on Jul 28, 2005 1:41:18 GMT -5
A Tribute to Hepburn
By Becky Coffey
Published on 7/28/2005
OLD SAYBROOK - The town's plans to restore the old town hall got a boost this month when the trustees of the estate of Katharine Hepburn agreed to the restored theater building being named in her honor. When completed, the facility on Main Street will be known as the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center and Theatre. Hepburn was a long-time resident of the Borough of Fenwick in Old Saybrook.
While funding for the reconstruction is secure, funds must be raised for the costs of the interior furnishings and equipment like the sound system for the restored theater.
On Sunday, Aug. 14, from noon to 3 p.m., a fundraising event called “The Way it Was” is planned for the Town Green to help raise needed funds. Bill Sage, town resident and chair of the event planning committee, said that tickets to the event are $10 per person. They will be sold in advance at the first selectman's office in the new Town Hall and in the Chamber of Commerce at 146 Main Street. Tickets will also be available at the door.
Each $10 ticket includes a guided tour of the newly opened interior of the building, live musical entertainment, refreshments (mimosas, soft drinks, and finger-foods), and one special edition postcard to commemorate the building's restoration. East Wharf Architects' design team members will be on-hand during the event to answer questions about the restoration design. The tour ticket also includes the opportunity to view several antique cars that will be on display.
The special edition postcard--included in the ticket price--will show a sketch of the theater's façade with a photo of actress Katharine Hepburn superimposed on top of it. The postcard will be printed in sepia tones to mimic the antique postcards of the town's early years.
According to First Selectman Michael Pace, the special edition postcard will be the first in a series that the Town plans to issue to celebrate the historic restoration of Old Saybrook public buildings and spaces. Also planned in the postcard series will be the historic recreation of the Visitors' Center building at the head of Main Street, the Town Hall (the former Main Street School), and the restored Pavilion public meeting facility at Saybrook Point.
Pace said that he hoped that sales of postcards in the new series could add funds to the town building sinking fund, a type of municipal savings account that is used to fund maintenance and restoration of public buildings.
After Aug. 14, the former town hall building will be closed for many months while work to complete the next phase of the restoration project begins. That next phase includes the rebuilding of the interior and the construction of an addition on the Town Green side of the building with an elevator to make the site handicapped-accessible.
Work to clean up the interior and dismantle interior partitions and floors began last year. The grand open space--with its tall Palladian windows--envisioned by architect James Sweeney of New London has been revealed again.
The original building, dedicated on May 26, 1911, included an auditorium that seated 316 people on the orchestra floor plus 92 more in a balcony space. Dressing rooms and a boiler room were below the stage. The building was among the first facilities to be designed with electric light illumination instead of gaslights.
The restored building--in addition to recreating the old theater--adds a two-story addition toward the Town Green, which adds a public lobby space on the upper level and a new ground level entrance for the handicapped with an elevator. At the top of this addition will be a new semi-circular balcony from which Pace hopes classical chamber music groups will soon play for special concerts on the Green.
By Becky Coffey
Published on 7/28/2005
OLD SAYBROOK - The town's plans to restore the old town hall got a boost this month when the trustees of the estate of Katharine Hepburn agreed to the restored theater building being named in her honor. When completed, the facility on Main Street will be known as the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center and Theatre. Hepburn was a long-time resident of the Borough of Fenwick in Old Saybrook.
While funding for the reconstruction is secure, funds must be raised for the costs of the interior furnishings and equipment like the sound system for the restored theater.
On Sunday, Aug. 14, from noon to 3 p.m., a fundraising event called “The Way it Was” is planned for the Town Green to help raise needed funds. Bill Sage, town resident and chair of the event planning committee, said that tickets to the event are $10 per person. They will be sold in advance at the first selectman's office in the new Town Hall and in the Chamber of Commerce at 146 Main Street. Tickets will also be available at the door.
Each $10 ticket includes a guided tour of the newly opened interior of the building, live musical entertainment, refreshments (mimosas, soft drinks, and finger-foods), and one special edition postcard to commemorate the building's restoration. East Wharf Architects' design team members will be on-hand during the event to answer questions about the restoration design. The tour ticket also includes the opportunity to view several antique cars that will be on display.
The special edition postcard--included in the ticket price--will show a sketch of the theater's façade with a photo of actress Katharine Hepburn superimposed on top of it. The postcard will be printed in sepia tones to mimic the antique postcards of the town's early years.
According to First Selectman Michael Pace, the special edition postcard will be the first in a series that the Town plans to issue to celebrate the historic restoration of Old Saybrook public buildings and spaces. Also planned in the postcard series will be the historic recreation of the Visitors' Center building at the head of Main Street, the Town Hall (the former Main Street School), and the restored Pavilion public meeting facility at Saybrook Point.
Pace said that he hoped that sales of postcards in the new series could add funds to the town building sinking fund, a type of municipal savings account that is used to fund maintenance and restoration of public buildings.
After Aug. 14, the former town hall building will be closed for many months while work to complete the next phase of the restoration project begins. That next phase includes the rebuilding of the interior and the construction of an addition on the Town Green side of the building with an elevator to make the site handicapped-accessible.
Work to clean up the interior and dismantle interior partitions and floors began last year. The grand open space--with its tall Palladian windows--envisioned by architect James Sweeney of New London has been revealed again.
The original building, dedicated on May 26, 1911, included an auditorium that seated 316 people on the orchestra floor plus 92 more in a balcony space. Dressing rooms and a boiler room were below the stage. The building was among the first facilities to be designed with electric light illumination instead of gaslights.
The restored building--in addition to recreating the old theater--adds a two-story addition toward the Town Green, which adds a public lobby space on the upper level and a new ground level entrance for the handicapped with an elevator. At the top of this addition will be a new semi-circular balcony from which Pace hopes classical chamber music groups will soon play for special concerts on the Green.