Opera house plans unveiled
By Jenna Buehler Comet Writer-intern
Delphi Preservation Society's annual meeting will be May 17 at the Wabash & Erie Canal Interpretive Center at 7 p.m. The program is free and open to the public. Refresh- ments will be served.

Werling

Dr. Greg Norman will present the 2006 Recognition Award for an outstanding historic structure in Delphi. DPS president Anita Werling will reveal plans for the Lathrope- Ruffing Opera House and Assion Ruffing City Hall restoration.

The preservation society was formed in 1994, the year in which it acquired two-thirds of the building located on Washington Street on the eastside of the courthouse square. Since that time, renovations have focused on cleaning away debris and roof stabilization due to decades of water damage.

The organization contracted with KJG Architecture to create schematic designs, interior elevations and drawings, all of which will be unveiled at the meeting.

Werling said that the Opera House Design Committee plans to divide construction into phases, the first phase being the facade or exterior of the building. The board received grants of $4,000 from Carroll County Community Foundation and $1,500 from REMC Operation Round-Up to match funds for an $18,000 grant from the U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Services Historic Preservation Fund administered by the Indiana DNR, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. Additional construction phases will focus on the interior of the building and the opera house. Those plans will require significant fundraising efforts.

"We hope to seat 180 people in the intimate environment of the Opera House, where the acoustics are unbelievable," Werling said. "We'll maintain the historic look of the opera house but with modern theater lighting and sound technology. It's going to be a challenge, but the designs are pretty exciting!"

Among the history to be preserved is the backstage 1880s Venetian water scene painting surrounded by autographs of former actors. The signature tradition is likely to continue.

"The historic opera house and stage will once again resound with the sounds of laughter, music, drama, and applause," Werling concluded.

For information contact Werling at (765) 564-2169 or awerling@delphipreservationsociety. org.