Work is proceeding on the restoration of four glass tile transoms for the Opera House building on the courthouse square in downtown Delphi.

Delphi Preservation Society owns the landmark structure built in 1864 that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Society is working toward a long-term goal of restoring the building and its third-floor Opera House as a performing arts center for Delphi and the surrounding area.

During a 2007-2008 façade restoration project, glass transoms were uncovered over the building's storefronts. In a competitive selection process, DPS chose Kaleidoscope Stained Glass, Lafayette, for the glass restoration. Kaleidoscope removed three transoms from storefronts last summer along with a fourth panel that had been stored in the Opera House since the 1950s. The fourth transom had a stained glass panel with "C. O. Julius" in orange letters on a purple field. (C. O. Julius was a clothier in that retail space for several decades.)

The Society asked Susan De- Long of Kaleidoscope to create a similar stained glass panel with "Opera House" to grace the transom over the stairway leading to the third floor theater.

This panel is being funded by a grant from Carroll County REMC Operation Roundup and a pledge from John and Chris Neumann of Delphi. A façade improvement grant from the City of Delphi and Delphi Main Street will help with a second transom that is simultaneously being restored.

DPS is still seeking sponsors for the remaining two transoms before work can be completed on those. Anyone interested in becoming a sponsor should contact Anita Werling, chairman of the Opera House advisory board, at (765) 564-2169 or email awerling@delphipreservationsociety. org.

DPS has volunteer workdays scheduled for the fourth Saturday of each month. Renovating a retail space so that it can be leased is the current focus.