Images – Past and Present

A family poses for a photograph in the snow across the street from the Menominee Opera House in this undated image. (Photo submitted by Tina Bergfors)

A photograph taken of the left side of the stage on the Menominee Opera House's opening night on December 16, 1902.

An undated photography of the outside front of the Menominee Opera House. This picture would likely have been taken before the 1950's.

An undated photograph taken from an old postcard shows the Menominee Opera House in its early days.

An undated newspaper clipping shows the Menominee Opera House in the days when horse-drawn carriages were a common sight.

Tiny Hill (right) along with Big Eddy (left) performing in the spotlight at center stage.

A small group of Menominee Theatre employees stand on the sidewalk and pose for a photograph in front of the building.

Two firefighters survey the damage that was caused by the fire in the winter of 1950.

A local newspaper ad from 1912 announcing a performance by world famous conductor John Phillip Sousa and his band.

A group of the theatre's managers pose for a photograph at the front of the stage. The bottom of the lower balcony can be seen above their heads in the background.

A photograph of Mack Cammack and the theatre crew taken in the building's front lobby in 1948.

A photograph of the upper front part of the building that was taken just prior to the 1982 restoration work.

An outside picture of the front of the building taken in 1959. An addition was built onto the west side during the time that it was used as a warehouse.

Another photograph of Mack Cammack and the theatre crew taken in the building's front lobby in 1948.

A photograph of Mack Cammack and the theatre crew taken in the building's front lobby in 1945.

A new gutter system is now in place above the building's northeast entrance.

A new gutter system is now in place above the building's northeast entrance.

A new gutter system is now in place above the building's northeast entrance.

One of our previous grants allowed us to make needed improvements to the building's roof a couple of years ago.

The new tiles are made of modern material to make them extremely durable in order to stand up to the sometimes harsh Michigan weather.

New tiles are carefully put in place. They've added a nice touch of color to the building.

With the old material stripped away, the roof is ready for its new tiles.

Getting ready for the new tiles.

Menominee Opera House treasurer, Bill Huntley, giving a wave from high atop the building.

Menominee Opera House treasurer, Bill Huntley, admiring his handiwork.

Scaffolding on the front of the Menominee Opera House is a common sight these days. A lot of exterior work has taken place over the past couple of years.

One of the most recent restoration projects has been on the west side of the Menominee Opera House. The bricks on this section of the building were deteriorating quickly. However, work done in the fall of 2014 has preserved this part of the structure.

The narrow stairwell leading up to the upper and lower balconies of the Menominee Opera House provides a good photo opportunity. In this case, HDR (high dynamic range) imaging was used to create the effect that is seen here.

New joists to support the new upper balcony floor are carefully lifted to the top of the Menominee Opera House. Work to repair and reinforce the infill wall was also completed at this time.

The infill wall was removed, a steel frame was inserted for added support and outer brick work was done during this phase of restoration.

The original wooden benches of the upper balcony seating are still in place in the Menominee Opera House. They were untouched by the fire of 1950, however, a thin later of soot from the blaze still covers them today.

Taken in 2010, this photo shows the Menominee Opera House as it was prior to all of the outer restoration work that has taken place since that time.

Taken in 2010, this photo shows the Menominee Opera House as it was prior to all of the outer restoration work that has taken place since that time.

Taken in 2010, this photo shows the Menominee Opera House as it was prior to all of the outer restoration work that has taken place since that time.