Portfolio

Project: Music Hall Theatre Restoration, Portsmouth, NH

Industries: Historic Preservation

Built in 1878, The Music Hall was Portsmouth's most elegant theatrical venue and currently is the oldest theater in New Hampshire. Illustrious performers such as Mark Twain, Harry Houdini, John Philip Sousa and Buffalo Bill Cody all made appearances on The Music Hall's stage, along with Shakespearean dramas , minstrel and vaudeville shows and eventually ""talking pictures"".
After unveiling the proscenium arch to the public at a gala evening in 2006, work then moved to Phase Two which called for the restoration of the auditorium itself. Gilding was added to the railings, all walls were painted and in 2007, murals were discovered painted on the theatre's domed ceiling and restored.
In October of 2006, restoration efforts moved to the dark and cramped lobby on the first floor. By removing 700 cubic yards of ledge, the size was increased from 1,110 SF to 2,600 SF and a “fantasy forest” of cast bronze trees, gilded columns and a distinctive concession stand was added.
Awards: 2008 NH Preservation Alliance Award & 2009 AIANH Merit Award