A restoration project 12 years — and counting — received a big boost this week.
Crews from 5M Restoration, Fort Scott, began removing loose brick from near the north roof of the old Iola Theatre in the 200 block of South Washington Avenue Wednesday.
The brick has slowly detached from the rest of the building, said Jim Smith, who is helping oversee the extensive remodel through the The Iola Theatre Association.
Smith previously owned the building with David Toland, a former Iolan, before donating it the Iola Theatre Association.
Smith has taken steps in the past to better secure the brick until a permanent repair could be afforded.
The non-profit organization received a grant for that brick work, Smith said, and has applications for other grants in the works to continue the restoration.
The most pressing need is to waterproof the base of the building, near the alley, where water has seeped in and destroyed much of the plaster work in the building’s interior.
“It’s going to take a lot,” he said. “We’ll need to find somebody who knows about plaster and how to best replace it.”
The cost, which will require a significant grant, and the work itself will be months (or years) into the future.
“I just hope I’m around to see it finished,” Smith said.
‘A temple of beauty and comfort’
The theatre was built as a showpiece in 1931 by hotelier Ira Kelley, who incidentally owned a smaller theatre across the street, Smith noted.
Iolan B.F. Churchill, an architect, offered his guidance in building the structure.
With nearly 900 seats and state-of-the-art technology, the Register account of its construction touted the modernity of its style, rivaling the movie houses in places such as Kansas City and New York.
The front of the building was composed of architectural designs from different periods, the article noted.
