The lights went up Wednesday night on the $1.2 million
restoration and renovation project in downtown Fremont.

“Tonight we also celebrate the next chapter in the life of the
Fremont Opera House,” Bill Vobejda, chairman of the Fremont Opera
House board, told donors and supporters who gathered for the
unveiling of the work.

A public ribbon cutting and open house will be held 9-10 a.m.
Friday.

“What you see before you today is the culmination of a truly
collaborative process,” he added. “It’s been a long journey. We’ve
had our share of tough challenges, whether it’s getting the
funding, keeping the construction on track, incorporating the many
new ideas, the new technologies, the new concepts for using the
space, all of these things that may have changed because they
weren’t on our minds when we first conceived of this process.”

Extensive exterior work and a complete renovation of the first
floor was completed on the 1890s-era building.

“A critical piece of the work we had to do was to save a
building that we were really in jeopardy of losing in this
community,” said Vobejda, who also is the publisher of the Fremont
Tribune. “The more we got into this project, the more we found how
fast this building was crumbling right around us.”

Workers stabilized all four sides of the exterior, tuck pointing
bricks, repair and replacing limestone and windows. Other exterior
work included a new front entry with custom doors, restoration of
the ornamental sheet metal, restoration of the front canopy and the
addition of handicap accessible entrances and parking stalls.

Inside, the first floor was transformed, creating a space for
multiple uses, from small-scale theater productions to banquets,
receptions and meetings. New lighting, electrical service, a
heating and air conditioning system, a fire suppression and alarm
system and audio-video equipment have been installed.

Systems were designed for future expansion, Vobejda said.

“This is a huge undertaking,” Fremont Mayor Scott Getzschman
said. “It just proves that if we dream big, we work hard and we all
come together, we can make things happen in Fremont.”

Getzschman pointed out one area that has come up during downtown
revitalization planning is the need for a performance art
center.

“We now have a destination for performing arts in Fremont,” he
said. “Truly this is a lot of hard work.”

Some work still needs to be completed. Exterior lighting and
purchasing furnishings are still under way.

Now, though, the Opera House board looks forward to the future
and addressing other areas.

“This is the opportunity for us to turn our work toward focusing
on small-scale performing arts with a special focus on programming
for children and family theater,” Vobejda said. “There is much more
that we can do and much more that we will do.”

The Opera House has brought in the Missoula Children’s Theater
in each of the past two years for workshops and performances. That
type of work will continue.

Additionally, the Opera House will host the Board Street Revue’s
latest production on Nov. 3-4.