LEWISTOWN - It's taken a lot of work to come as far as they have, and the Friends of the Embassy are gearing up to make another push to complete the outside of the theater.
When the Friends bought the theater in 1991, the board knew it would need plenty of restoration and rehabilitation; however, a team of architects and engineers determined that the building was "structurally sound" and its "load-bearing members were in good condition with no rust or deterioration."
Among some of the most significant grants that were secured was one from former U.S. Rep. John Peterson. That grant, called the Save America's Treasures Grant, was for $246,000.
In addition, the Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission awarded the theatre $85,000; however, when it is all said and done, these monies represent only a portion of what is needed to complete the restoration of the theater.
Some of these grant monies are matching and there is still a need to fulfill a portion of that requirement.
In addition, Lewistown Borough provided $25,000 in Community Development Block Grant money that was left over from a previous year.
"The borough has always been a strong supporter, they would like to see this done," Paul Fagley, President of the Friends of the Embassy, said.
Fagley said he knows it has taken a long time to get the theater in working condition, but now he believes that goal could be closer than it appears.
"I know it is taking forever, but we want to do it right, we have a real gem there," Fagley said.
Fagley said that during the next several weeks, the Friends will begin to advertise for solicitation of bids to complete the outside restoration of the theater.
Among the projects topping the list are, the removal of the old tar roof and installation of a new rubber membrane roof.
"The current roof is nearing the end of its life span and we want to prevent any future water damage," Fagley said.
In addition to the roof project, there is some brick-and-mortar work that needs to be completed on the outside of the theater.
Fagley said that the bid process for the work will have several stages and those companies wishing to submit a bid first have to fill out a "Request for Qualifications" form, which will help the Friends determine whether a specific company is up to the task.
Fagley said the qualifying form was a must have, given the specialized nature of the restoration process for the theatre.
By spring, Fagley said, work will begin on the outside work and once that is finished, the hope is to begin using the theatre, "at the very least on a limited basis."
As the Friends move toward finishing the outside restoration, plans are already in the works to begin projects on the inside of the theater.
During the next week, a conservator will be working on the inside of the theater to determine how the decorating and ascetics of the inside changed over the years when it was in use.
Fagley said that the goal is to use the conservator's findings to help the Friends restore the inside of the theater to it's original decorative scheme of 1927.
Through his research, Fagley said he was able to determine some information about the inside looked like, but not enough.
Fagley said the conservator will be using some interesting equipment which can both literally and figuratively see through the different layers of decorative schemes the theater had over the several decades it was in use.
"I think people will be amazed what's revealed," he added.
Fagley said that right now, the Friends of the Embassy are focused on getting the first phase of the theater project completed.
Much of the outside of the building, Fagley said, has been restored, including the marquee, box office, windows and display casings.
The next step in the restoration project would then be to construct a small annex, which would house mechanical equipment, such as heating and air conditioning, a concession stand and bathrooms.
Fagley said that when The Embassy Theatre opens, it will fill a void in the community by providing a place where people can see second-run movies, community-based theater, concerts, symphonies and special events.
