The Dawn Theater celebrated its completed rehabilitation with a private grand opening on Saturday, Feb. 19.
Inside the decorated brick building, supporters of the theater mingled to see the space in its completed form for the first time.
More than 200 people turned out for the event, said Calvin Stockdale ’10, one of the project’s board members.
“It’s wonderful to see a turnout like this,” Stockdale said. “It shows the great support this program has had in the community.”
The Dawn Theater, a 1919 Vaudeville theater that was closed and in disrepair, received a $1.4 million grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation in 2018.
The theater is located at 110 N. Howell St., across the street from Hillsdale City Hall.
While the city owns the building, CL Real Estate will be managing the building beginning in March, Stockdale said.
Stockdale said it was the first event hosted inside the space.
“This is a big celebration of an astonishing achievement,” he said.
Matt Taylor ’92, project manager for Foulke Construction, said he is happy with the way the project turned out. He said he was emotionally attached to the project.
“I grew up here and went to movies here, like ‘Bambi’ and ‘Star Wars,’” he said. “I always knew it would be great, but it exceeded my expectations.”
Dean Melchi ’74 and his wife, who live in Ohio, also said they have memories from when the Dawn was a movie theater.
“We came here on a date,” Melchi said. “I think the renovation is wonderful.”
Melchi said it was the only movie theater in town at the time, and it hosted only one movie per day on weekdays. They came from out of state to see the final product of the rehabilitation and to catch up with friends.
“We felt it was nice to support the community,” he said.
After sharing hors d’oeuvres, wine, and beer with friends for an hour, Mary Bertakis, secretary for Friends of the Dawn, spoke of how the theater captivated her the first time she entered it 10 years ago.
“Walking into this room, it was red and dark, but it still produced a ‘wow,’” Bertakis said.
She explained the role of the Friends of the Dawn moving forward.
“We, like farmers, will tend the projects that arise,” she said.
Mary Wolfram, board member for the Friends of the Dawn, said the purpose of the project was to repurpose the past to serve the future.
“And this event is an example of what it is going to be like,” she said.
Michigan House Rep. Andrew Fink said he greatly appreciated everyone’s support.
“I have been looking forward to this night for several years,” he said.
During the event, the County National Bank presented a $25,000 check to help the theater, which it will pay out over the next five years, but most of which it will pay upfront.
In addition, the formal presentation featured a history of the pipe organ, one of only 13 of around 2,200 Wurlitzer organs produced during the silent movie era left in existence, according to John Ourensma, the organist at Hillsdale First United Methodist Church.
The pipe organ was sold to Hillsdale College in 1944 and installed on the top floor of the Central Hall, Ourensma said. In the 1970s it was removed, and eventually given to Dr. Jeffery Horton, a former dentist dedicated to preserving Hillsdale’s history. Horton has offered to give the organ back to be put in the Dawn.
“We are grateful it was not thrown away,” Ourensma said. “It will go in the same place. That’s the dream.”
Friends of the Dawn chairman Ron Scholl said it will be the job of the community to make the dream come true.
“As a community, we need to breathe life back into this space,” he said.
The Friends of the Dawn invites the entire community to attend a free public open house and ribbon-cutting at the theater on March 4 between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.
