Out with the old Ottawa stage curtain

By Brian Ojanpa
Free Press Staff Writer

OTTAWA October 07, 2008 12:10 am

— t’s curtains for the historic curtain on Ottawa Town Hall’s stage.
But a $5,400 replicated replacement is waiting in the wings.
The torn and faded circa 1910 painted-scenic curtain will be replaced through efforts of the Ottawa Township Board, Ottawa historians and the Le Sueur County Historical Society.
Meantime, work on the new one is about to be commence by student artists in New York under the direction of University of Minnesota professor and historic scenic design buff Lance Brockman, who documented the Ottawa curtain 20 years ago.
“It’s highly unusual to find something like this still hanging,” Brockman said of the canvas drop curtain in the 148-year-old town hall situated between St. Peter and Le Sueur.
Stage curtains adorned with scenic landscapes were once commonplace in fledgling American communities, where opera houses often were among the first buildings erected.
Historic sleuthing done on the Ottawa curtain has revealed it likely came from an opera house in St. Peter. Though it’s still in working order, its condition is woeful.
“Age and water stains have kind of destroyed the image that is there,” Ottawa Town Board Member Dick Peterson said.
Talk of replicating the curtain has circulated for years, but the catalyst for action was aided by Minnesota’s sesquicentennial observance this year.
“The sesquicentennial has really brought history to the forefront and made historical societies think about how they could best highlight their assets,” said Kathy Burns, who is working on the project on behalf of the Le Sueur County Historical Society.
Funding comes from the Unimin Corp. of Ottawa, which set up a preservation fund to support projects in the village of Ottawa.
Brockman said the new muslin curtain will replicate the bluffs-and-water scene as well as the vibrant colors of the original.
Brockman said making color choices required a “leap of faith” because the paint on the aged curtain had become so deteriorated.
Restoring the curtain was out of the question, he said.
“It’s in such horrendous shape that restoration seemed to be throwing good money after bad.”
The painting will be done by graduate students studying scenic painting at Cobalt Studios in White Lake, N.Y. A December unveiling in Ottawa is anticipated.
In addition to board meetings, the town hall continues to be used for wedding receptions and other social functions.
When the old curtain is taken down, it will be placed in the tube used to transport its replacement and tucked away for
posterity.

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