Brookville – After more than 20 years of discussion, Historic Brookville, Inc. (HBI) is planning the planning for the restoration and reopening of the Marlin Opera House in downtown Brookville. This distinctive historical performance event location is located on the upper stories of the Marlin Opera House Block, opposite the historic Brookville Town Square and diagonal via Brookville's Main from the courthouse of Jefferson County.
The building was built between 1883 and 1886 by Col. Silas J. Marlin, a veteran of the civil war, which made his fortune in wood, as well as many during this time. Col. Marlin died within three years after completing the building and in the next 15 years the opera house was managed by his son Silas Jr. Shortly after the turn of the 20th century, the last documented performance during his historical time in 1907.
In the 1920s, the building was sold to several retail tenants of the building, and over the years, ownership of the heirs of these first tenants became owned. When the pharmacist Regis McCabe and his wife Phyllis acquired the building in the early 1980s, more than 50 acts needed to complete the deal. After the death of the McCabes, the building went to her daughter Kathy, who is a member of the board of the HBI.
A preliminary feasibility study was carried out by HBI in 2017, but this study only examined the opera house itself, not the rest of the second history or the balance of the building, which would have to be treated so that the facility fulfills the current building regulations. HBI has now eliminated an ancillary cost committee for the Opera House project.
The local historian and HBI board member David Taylor noted that the Marlin is actually a national treasure because there are restored performance houses across the country, so few that date from the 1880s and were actually locations.
“The restoration of the Marlin would not only be an important step to get the history of our community,” said Taylor, “but could be an important economic development factor for Brookville in the coming decades and would change the face of the city center of Brookville and the city square forever.”
William Condee, emeritus professor at Ohio University, is the author of “Coal and Culture: Opera Houses in Appalachia”. During his investigation of the book and in a letter of support to HBI, he visited the Marlin for the use of Fundraising that the Marlin is “the most original, most flawless and unchanged opera house in the entire Appalachian region. This region extends from Mississippi to New York.
Seven to ten years ago, HBI produced several sold -out public appearances in the Marlin, including both stage productions and music concerts, but insurance concerns forced the suspension of these activities.
The Marlin Opera House Restoration Committee, chaired by Kristie Taylor, a local educator and a perfect theater professional. She is accompanied in the committee of Fran Barilar, David Taylor, Ashley Modany, Soren Morelli, Chrissie Hoffman, Stephen Nicolai, Nathan Porter, Alaina Kennedy-Shirey and the architect of Brookville, Lauren Dennison Victor.
HBI announces the formation of this committee to carry out the extended feasibility study.
HBI is a non -profit society, so all contributions to the obligation would be in full the law. Contributions to the efforts can be made to HBI in the PostBox 462 and should clearly be identified as “Marlin Opera House Study”.
Further information is available from Kristie Taylor at kristiebelles@gmail.com.