Fast forward to February of 2007. The Southern Tennessee Area Arts Repertory (STAAR) was looking for a new building. It just so happened that a space had opened up in a former retail store on the east side of the square. Tammy Pierchoski, the now Exective Director of STAAR, found the space to be just perfect for their needs! They finished up discussions and she was ready to sign on the dotted line when she glanced up at the building again and noticed that it had a huge roofline and appeared to have another story.
She asked what was up there and the man showing her the building said he wasn’t sure. He only knew it was bolted shut. They grabbed some bolt cutters and a flashlight, then make their way up the metal stairs to investigate. What they found behind those doors was incredible.
An intact and incredibly beautiful piece of history simply frozen in time. Closed off and unused since the 1930s, the opera house seemed to be silently just waiting for someone to find it. Tammy was elated! It became her mission on that day to see the opera house restored and used once again for the arts.
Since then, STAAR has used the first floor for all their performing arts and other events. They brought the original name Antoinette Hall back and have a very detailed plan for the restoration of the opera house. Plans for concerts, opera, dance, ceremonies, speakers, and more. You may notice large rebar crossing through the center of the room in the pictures. These are to help bolster the structure and keep the walls straight. The first part of restoration will be firming up the walls and foundation before moving on to more exciting things.
Eventually, they would like to see a restaurant on the roof along with the iconic archways added back. (See picture 4) And of course, as many historical details restored as they can! (See picture 3 for what it could look like restored!) They have a great vision of this being a cultural arts hub for the Southern Middle Tennessee area again.
They have launched a campaign called “Save Antoinette Hall” to partner with others to help restore the opera house. You can find out how to donate and also learn a lot more about it at http://www.antoinettehall.com.
