The Daily Standard
Story Archive
New windows are installed in the Morvilius Opera House in Fort Recovery.
FORT RECOVERY - Reinforced triple-pane glass windows will add a touch of splendor to the historic Morvilius Opera House as part of a massive ongoing restoration project.
Carol Jutte, who sits on the board of directors for the Fort Recovery Friends of the Opera House, said the 14 windows were delivered recently and will be installed by Heyne Construction of Minster.
Because the windows are so large, thick and heavy, professionals used an exterior lift to move them upstairs, according to the opera house's Facebook page.
"They're very thick and the framework around the window itself is thick to go into the brick window wells that we have upstairs," Jutte said. "They're very tall and they're going to be very heavy and it's just going to take a lot of manpower."
The new windows will provide a better sound barrier than the old single-pane windows, which were not original to the building, per the Facebook post.
In August, Mercer County commissioners awarded a $149,750 contract to Heyne Construction for the window replacement project.
The interior of the opera house as it appeared in 2020.
The committee has been hard at work repairing the interior of the historic opera house on North Wayne Street.
Jutte said the subfloor has been replaced and the load limits are higher, but members haven't picked the flooring to be installed on top of the subfloor.
"We can't look through the floor and see the downstairs anymore, which we could before so that's a big improvement," she said.
Jutte said members still hope to break ground this spring on the annex building which will house the elevator.
Because the project is so intense, members were warned against setting a completion date.
"Every project we think we're going do seems to take longer than it's supposed to, just like any remodeling or home improvement project. It's no different with the business," she said.
The exterior of the opera house as it looks today.
When the opera house is brought back to life, members hope to host live productions, children's theatre and small musical performances. They also hope the building can be home to speakers, business meetings, baby and wedding showers and possibly act as a wedding venue.
"We're trying to leave it open," Jutte said. "The sky's the limit. We can do a lot of different things."
The organization purchased the building in December 2020. Built in 1883, the opera house is hidden on the second story of a former business on North Wayne Street.
Russell Morvilius, a prominent businessman, bought the opera house in 1898 for his daughter, Fay, when she was 8 or 9 years old, and changed the name to the Morvilius Opera House, Friends of the Opera House board member Karen Meiring had said. The venue closed in 1939.
Fay Morvilius was the protégé of well-known Victor Maurel of New York. After finishing her musical training, she became a renowned mezzo contralto vocalist throughout major cities in the U.S. and Europe, performing for kings and queens there.
Mercer County Community Development Director Jared Ebbing had said the county helped the organization apply for and receive a $250,000 Target of Opportunity grant through the Community Development Block Grant program. The Fort Recovery Friends of the Opera House matched the grant with $68,000.
With those dollars, Ebbing had said they've replaced the opera house roof and fixed some exterior brick. The remaining funds will go toward the window replacement, as well as minor electric and HVAC upgrades.
The group has also received a $500,000 state capital appropriation, and over $2 million in donations which Ebbing had said will go toward installing an elevator, adding on an addition to the back of the opera house and revamping the interior of the first floor.
People enter the Fort Recovery Opera House in this file photo. The date of this photo is unknown, but clues include a horse at the far left of the picture and a car (vintage 1920s?) to the far right.
