Dustin Lowe, local historian and author of “The Rich Woods of Union County: A Comprehensive History of Richwood, Ohio,” is willing to donate all proceeds of his book sale in addition to $1,000 of his own money to keep the Richwood Opera House in use.
As of July 9, Lowe had raised about $3,062.
“The Richwood Opera House is very important to our community. It was built in 1890 because our community needed a building to meet in that was large enough to hold a few hundred people,” Lowe explained. “The building replaced the old engine house and has been used not just as a town hall but later became the Union Theatre owned by my great aunt Esther and her husband, Dan Anderson, around 1935 until its closure in 1961.
“Despite the village government moving to the Mills Chevrolet building in the early 2000s, the opera house should continue to be used,” he continued. “A venue space is always in high demand in this area and having mental health services in this part of the county is strongly needed. Another suggestion is to convert the building into a history museum to help preserve the town’s rich history.”
“The Rich Woods of Union County: A Comprehensive History of Richwood, Ohio” is available to purchase online anywhere books are sold. Copies are also available to purchase or check out at the Richwood-North Union Public Library at 4 E. Ottawa St.
“The Richwood Opera House is a sturdy building with a great foundation. If it’s lasted 131 years, then it can last a few more as long as we take care of her,” Lowe added. “The building has the ability to attract people to this village. When people think of Richwood, they should think of it’s opera house. After all, the building and slogan, ‘Where the Clock Chimes Hospitality,’ is on our town sign!”
The Richwood Revitalization Committee, a subcommittee of the Village of Richwood Council, is currently focused on raising and repairing the roof of the historical structure.
Jeff Meyer, owner of Meyer Restoration Inc. of Piqua Ohio, has requested payment for floor measuring as well as partial payment for the roof relocation of the opera house.
Committee chairman Reddy Brown said he does not want to pay Meyer until another floor measurement is conducted “now that they’ve put on the weight in a couple different places when they were pushing the roof.”
“The floor could still be moving. Once they’re all done pushing, I’m willing to say ‘That’s your last measurement,’” Brown continued. “I need to get another measurement from them before I’m willing to pay them for the floor measuring.”
Additionally, the north beam of the roof is a foot lower than expected. Brown is also seeking clarification from Meyer because he requested $7,000 for the roof relocation, although the original quote was for nearly $8,200.
According to the Phase 1 report of the restoration project, angle pushing on the north beam moved the roof two and a half feet. The quote for repositioning the roof was based on straight pushing. Meyer over budgeted on labor costs by 230 manhours from the angled pushing strategy.
During the meeting, the committee discussed options to restore the roof. The first option is to stop pushing the north beam. Instead, a wood frame would be created for small depression at an additional cost. The wood frame would cost approximately $4,120. Then, a rubber roof and antenna would be installed.
David Derwacter of Derwacter & Associates, LLC of Zanesville, Ohio inspected the roof situation and recommended the investigation of the ridge and to keep pushing the roof higher. However, Meyer disagrees and would prefer to meet with engineers to discuss picking up the roof from outside.
With the recent rain, water has gotten inside the building through several holes in the roof. A wood frame and a rubber roof need to be installed temporarily to prohibit water from entering.
When the committee has enough funding to bring in a crane to permanently repair and raise the roof, a hole would be cut out of the rubber roof.
“Then, [the construction crew brings] a new piece of rubber back that is a little bit bigger, they’d slap it right over and put a big patch on it,” Brown explained. “So, the temporary isn’t bad at all because it’s temporary with a plan to go ahead and do the work.”
The committee is considering several potential sources of funding to fix the roof from the Union County Commissioners and the Village of Richwood Council to grants and donations. The committee may apply for a grant with a match requirement through the Ohio History Connection as a bricks and mortar restoration project. The application deadline for the current grant cycle is September 28, 2021.
As part of the second phase of the project, the committee’s layout work group designed a layout of one use option that shows an open office format with file cabinets for administrative use. Only the village clerk will be in an enclosed office space. This first option layout indicates that the village government and community services offices would relocate to the building, while the Richwood Police Department would remain at the current municipal building, 153 N. Franklin St.
Brown shared that he plans to offer the Claibourne Township Trustees office space in the opera house to build a connection between the township and the village.
“We don’t need money, but if they want to help us, maybe they write a letter in one of our grants that they support our cause. That would be the only thing I would ask back if we include them as one of our partners,” he said.
Three meeting spaces are featured on the first floor of the layout, but committee member Gail DeGood-Guy argued that the meeting space next to the clerk’s office should be incorporated into the office. Brown and committee member Laurie Eliot-Shea suggested a sliding partition or temporary wall for accessibility from the office.
Committee member Aaron Smith noted that additional space to store records would be needed and the meeting space next to the clerk’s office could serve that purpose. Brown agreed to relabel the space as “Clerk Records.”
Smith also encouraged installing a security door between the lobby and office spaces.
“I like the idea of having access to the outside, but I think it’s more important to force people to go in the main lobby door. They can go through those beautiful doors. They can use that awesome lobby space,” he said.
Additionally, the committee discussed adding a unisex, private staff bathroom where existing plumbing is located.
The first option layout also shows a venue area with a small stage and catering kitchen upstairs.
The second option for the opera house proposes having a resiliency center and community services offices on the first floor and a community hall and civic center space for activities upstairs.
“I would have the [Richwood Civic Center] activities downstairs certainly if you’re talking about people who have mobility issues and are smaller groups,” said Eliot-Shea.
Brown agreed to remove the specific use of the civic center upstairs.
The third potential use for redevelopment would include space for pop-up shops and crafts on the first floor and a stage and venue area on the second floor, whereas the fourth possible use involves an open roof or sunroof in the middle of the building for farmers market or green space.
The fifth option involves demolishing all but new bays and to fill in the basement. A grass or paved lot with picnic tables would be incorporated as well.
The final option proposes having a venue upstairs while leaving the downstairs vacant of a permanent resident.
Brown said Mayor Scott Jerew recommended an option similar to option six but with the venue downstairs.
The committee discussed the possibility of having a venue downstairs with the columns and the angled floor. Brown said the downstairs floor could be made level with some ramps for accessibility to a venue.
“It would be a lot cheaper than going upstairs with the elevator,” Brown said.
He added that if a venue is built downstairs, then an elevator would not be installed later on to put a venue upstairs.
“At some point, we’re going to decide if the venue is going up or down,” Brown said.
Committee member Gail DeGood-Guy said she struggled to visualize a venue downstairs with the current state of the building.
Brown agreed that an upstairs venue would be better than “trying to make a venue out of that mess downstairs.”
Eliot-Shea opposed having any empty space in the building as suggested by the sixth option.
When the Richwood Revitalization Committee complies with Sunshine Laws and its charter in terms of membership, members can vote to have the opera house use case presented to the Village of Richwood Council for approval of a use to move forward with the project.