Thomaston Opera House

The Thomaston Opera House was built in 1884 in a Romanesque architectural style. The performance space and auditorium are housed in the town hall building and are still in use for theater productions and events. The opera house has faced threats of demolition on a few occasions, but multiple generations have fought for its restoration.

EverGreene has completed two restoration projects at the Opera House. The first phase was a restoration of a hero mural of an eagle on the rear auditorium wall above the balcony in 2017 which had been subjected to water damage and construction impacts as the Opera House had been converted into a movie house and back over its lifespan. Our team conducted a conditions assessment to determine how best to stabilize and preserve this element. Ultimately, the unstable and damaged plaster substrate was consolidated, and a new mural was replicated in our Design Studio, matching the scale colors and design of the original image and installed onsite.

Our craftspeople returned in 2024 to complete a full restoration of the highly decorative painted plaster ceiling coffers and coves above the auditorium as part of a larger restoration effort of the theater auditorium and backstage spaces. The three-coat plaster ceiling was surveyed and was consolidated from the attic facing side of the ceiling in order to stabilize its structural integrity with minimal impact to the decorative painting on the audience facing side below. Once stabilized, the ceiling and coves were gently cleaned and stenciled patterns original to the theater’s original design were revealed. Additional plaster repairs were completed at areas of loss and extensive water damage. Skilled artists carefully mixed 86 specific colors onsite to match the historic paint scheme and replicated missing areas of stenciled designs, swag ornament, and trompe l’oeil motifs to bring the ceiling back to its original beauty.