Return Grainfield Opera House E-mail

----- Original Message -----
From: Bryjka, Darius
To: Janet Ziegler
Sent: Monday, September 08, 2008 9:42 AM
Subject: RE: Grainfield Opera House

Hi Janet,

Since I flew to Colorado I did not have a chance to stop by Grainfield, which I would have done if I drove. I think that you can definitely use the rarity of the building’s facade as an advantage. It’s not that there aren’t other opera houses that used Mesker Brothers facades, but the facade of your and Ouray’s are some of the earliest examples of their work still in existence and the facade designs are also unique. In the 1890s, Mesker Brothers changed and standardized their designs so their later buildings don’t look like your opera house. Even in 1887-88, this design with rounded upper story windows was unique among their offerings. This entire discussion about Mesker Brothers depends of course on whether someone cares about them or not. But since they were the largest, or one of the largest, manufacturers and distributors of ornamental sheet-metal building products, and their work can still be found in large numbers in every state, their impact is undeniable.
The Wright Opera House in Ouray is in a similar situation, with a local non-for profit trying to acquire the building and restore it as a performing arts venue. They are going after state and potentially federal grants that would fund a lot of the work. I have promised to help them in proving the significance of the facade in any way I can, and would be happy to do the same for Grainfield. A lot of the reasons for my going there was to increase local awareness of the facade as an important historic resource, since it faces uncertain times. I gave a lecture about the Meskers in the building and we also did a walking tour of downtown Ouray, which has 13 other examples of Mesker facades. This is exactly the intention of the ‘got mesker?’ initiative – to get people interested in the discussion of these buildings, and to ultimately increase their preservation and rehabilitation.
Please let me know how I can be of help. I will definitely let you know if I travel in your area so we can meet and look at the building.

Sincerely,
Darius Bryjka
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
One Old State Capitol Plaza
Springfield , Illinois 62701

Phone: 217.782.8221
E-mail: darius.bryjka@illinois.gov
http://www.illinois-history.gov/
http://www.gotmesker.com/