Collegio Online

Issue date: 8/30/07 Section: Front Page

Media Credit: Aaron Anders/Collegio The Colonial Fox Theater, located in downtown Pittsburg, will be available for tours on Saturday, Sept. 1, during Little Balkans Days.

Pittsburg residents will soon be able to visit a landmark once thought beyond repair.
The Colonial Fox Theater, an 800-seat auditorium dating from 1920 that has sat dormant for over 20 years, will be open to the public for tours in a partially restored state on Saturday, Sept. 1, during Little Balkans Days.
High archways and intricate tapestries now line the downtown Pittsburg building, which once was covered in art deco regalia. Workers stripped out false ceilings and wall coverings to reveal Italian Renaissance-style artwork below the surface.
"As you can see, we've brought back a little of the history," said Brian Berndt, building chairman and trustee on the Colonial Fox Foundation Board. "You just can't imagine the feeling you get when you bring out the good craftsmanship of yesteryear."
Tours will be held all day Saturday - 10 people per group, with a tour starting every 10 minutes.
The fact that the theater is in any kind of safe condition seems to be a relief to the Colonial Fox Foundation, the group responsible for raising money and restoring the theater to its present state.
The Foundation has raised thousands to restore the theater, which they hope to use for various community events, such as live music, independent and classic films, comedians and more.
Berndt says the group has worked since December 2006 to make progress on the theater - plugging leaks, clearing mold, and tearing down lowered ceilings, to name a few of the tasks they've completed - but first, they had to find a way to pay for it.
The group says it is about halfway through its "400 for $40,000" promotion. They hope Saturday's tours will raise more interest in their fund-raising drive, which asks 400 individuals or families to donate $100 each to the cause.
Berndt says the building is stable for now, but fixing the roof will be the first order of business when more money comes in. As for other repairs and modifications, they'll be taken one step at a time.
"We're at the stage now where we can sculpt the theater to what we want to have," said Rhona Shand, another trustee who also teaches art at Pittsburg State University.
Both Shand and Berndt say they want the theater to be a place for the entire community to enjoy.
"It's everyone," Shand said. "It is all age groups. It is people who have come together because they want to see the Colonial Fox back in action."
For more information on the Colonial Fox Theater, call Heather Horton at 249-8982.

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