FINISHING TOUCHES BEING MADE

I hadn't visited the Channel 15 studio in some time, so today, being a beautiful day, I stopped by to see what Matt was up to.  The whole studio floor had been replaced with new shiny tile!  The place really looked clean and spotless.

Matt has rearranged the place too!  There is a large conference table near the front door where he and his students gather for class.  The workstations are against the wall on both sides of the studio, and he tells me new chairs are coming any day.

Matt promised to send us photos of the new furnishings, plus of the new "set screen" that has been built, and will be painted.  This addition will give the students something to hang articles on for their in-house productions. 

The place seems so open now, and I remembered Muse and Gary saying that one day people will be able to walk down the street, look in, and see the studio in operation.  You can do that today!  There are around 20 students taking classes there now, and more to come.

You may also see these same students while out driving around area.  They go out and shoot raw "footage" and then come back to the studio to do their editing.  Matt also promised to send us some photos of the students on location, and he says he's already posting some on the Channel 15 Facebook page.  Check it out!

I updated this post to include a couple of shots Matt posted on Facebook, showing part of his class during a recent shoot.  Looks like lots of fun!

This is the most important part of the dream folks...our children having a place to learn the arts!  Do all you can to encourage and support them!

Up at the Princess, I found James and Adam working hard to finish up the marquee.  James told me that there will be yellow neon on the red badge; front and center of the marquee.  This should add another be splash of color for us to enjoy!

She's looking good folks...everything is painted and cleaned up inside.  I think all that remains is getting the new curtain and sound system up!  It's just another milestone that I've (we all have) been waiting anxiously on since the beginning.

Oh yeah, one last thing.  I found out today...the raggedy old awning hanging out in front of the Channel 15 studio will also be replaced soon.  That had been bothering me for some time!

We're getting very close to the opening folks!

THE PRINCESS TO BE OPEN FOR HARRIMAN'S CHRISTMAS TOUR!

Now that I have your attention, let's talk about the marquee first!

I don't know about you, but for me the project is over when I see the word "PRINCESS" on the marquee again!  Of course, the project isn't over, but the light at the end of the stage (so to speak) can been seen from here!

James and Adam put up all the letters in Princess today, and will put up the two "theatre" words tomorrow!  The big red letters really looked great and now the only thing better for me will be to see the neon lights against a darken sky!  

I stopped in around 1PM today to get the historic hanging of the "P", came back by after a short trip to Wal-Mart to see PRIN up, and then back through this afternoon to see the full word.  I must say it was a little emotional for me.

Inside workmen worked hard at installing the beautiful carpet.  The carpet is a Regal copyrighted pattern that they let us have, and the streaks of burnt orange will really make the Regal seats pop!  It could not have been a better match.  I think the carpet was what excited Megan the most, and I almost agree, but the PRINCESS out front just has to be number one for me.

Upstairs, the guardrails have been installed around the handicapped seating area.  Pay no attention to that one lone seat...it isn't placed yet and not turned in the right direction!

The Princess will be open for a quick walk-thru on December 10th and 11th during the Historic Harriman Christmas Tour.  You must have purchased a ticket for the Christmas Tour prior to entering the Princess.

Saturday, December 10, 12 - 6 pm

Sunday, December 11, 1 - 6 pm

Tickets are $15 for adults; $5 children under 12

Tickets can be purchased the day of the tour at the following locations:
Harriman's Carnegie Library, 601 Walden St.

Red Door Antiquities, 505 N. Roane St.

Please note that the Princess restrooms will not be open, due to construction, and the tour will be limited to a walk down one auditorium aisle, around in front of the stage, and back up the opposite aisle and back to the lobby.  Refreshments will be available in the lobby area.  Entrance to the theatre will only be through the "Margrave" building to the right of the Princess, and exit will be out the little lobby area on the left of the Princess.  The main lobby doors will be locked.

You will be thrilled at the restoration work that has been done!

HE PUT THE "P" IN PRINCESS!

I stopped by Rocky Top Sign and Neon today and spoke with owner James Ryan.  We discussed the Princess project, and how things are getting rushed toward the end, and how much pressure he was to get the marquee up!  Naturally, any restoration project is going to be pushing to get it's most visible part up and functioning.  In the case of the Princess, it's the marquee that's the most visible!

I just happened to mention how much I wanted to be there when the first letter, hopefully the "P", was hung to take the historic photograph.  He said, "Why don't you take it now?"

As my granddaughter would say, "What!"

Yes, there they were, all spread out on his shop floor.  I was so happy to see them, and they surprised me too!  In my mind's eye I could see dull looking flat letters fastened to the front of the black and white sign that's now hanging there.  Nope, they will be raised letters, some 8 to 10 inches deep, and in the most brilliant red and blue baked on paint...just like the blueprints illustrate!

Each letter is outlined in a white stripe about an inch wide.  Each letter will have neon that will flash just like the original once did.  I know I've spoken about LED, but that's for the lights beneath the canopy.  The letters will be fitted with the latest in neon technology.

Look closely at the clear plastic letters laying on the new concessions counter (below) and 

you'll see that these plastic letters will enclose the back of each red or blue letter.  The clear plastic shapes attach to the marquee, enclosing the backside of each letter, and allow access for the electrical connection that will light up the neon letter shapes on the front of the letters.

The marquee will be as it looked in 1939 (above), which is much more beautiful than what most of us grew up knowing.  Double click the photo to see them larger!

CLICK HERE  to see what most of us remember.

In the '39 photo, you can easily see that the letters are raised, both the PRINCESS and the THEATRE letters.  You will also note that it is correctly "THEATRE".

Well James, I still want to be there when you hang the "P", but I'll have to say this was pretty exciting too!  Thanks!

Inside I was pleased to see that all the seats are now in place.  It now looks like a theatre!

Also, I can't get over how much the actual photo above looks like the blog header!  The drawings were a better depiction of what we were to see than any of us ever thought.

Everything seems ready for the carpet!

To the rear of the stage a strong trap door has been built to cover the stairs down to the basement, giving the stage an extra three or four feet of performance space.

Out in the lobby, the terrazzo has been filled and sanded down, and over in the concessions lobby the elevator doors are on and the lift is operational.

Hang on folks...it won't be long now!

PROGRESS REPORT FROM THE PRINCESS

It used to be that I'd have to wait a month to see real change in the progress at the Princess.  Now, if I don't go every few days, I can miss out on lots of little changes.  Things are really, happening at a fast pace now, and it won't be long before you will see a notice posted here for a grand event!

James Ryan and Adam (forgive me I forgot his last name), of Rocky Top Sign & Neon, are busy most days putting on the metal face of the marquee.  He begins this week finishing up the neon at his shop, and I plan on dropping by to capture a few great moments in neon for history.

I was under the misconception that the marquee was going to be a giant one-piece sign that a crane would have to hoist into place.  Not so!  The frame of the marquee is all wood, some having to be molded into a curved shape that goes up first.  It is then wrapped in black and white metal, which has a plastic shield on the outside to protect it from scratches during installation.  That will be peeled off once the sign is completed covered.

The metal will protect the wood from the weather and keep the marquee sturdy and shiny for years to come.  Over this will be the neon...more on that later.

Inside, Tim Plemons and crew are still painting the vast interior, which has included the auditorium floor.  Some time next week the burgundy seats donated by Regal Cinemas will be bolted into place.  It will then look like a theatre inside as well.  I'm not going to publish any more wide shots of the interior until after the grand opening.  We want it to be a total surprise to you when you walk into the auditorium for the first time!

However, I will post a close shot or two of the seats just to tease you!

The new bathroom additions are being completed, and the ladies will happy to know that there are six new stalls in the Princess, besides the original ones.  The men too will have new extra facilities to enjoy, and there will be drinking fountains conveniently located throughout the lobby area.

The elevator lift and loading platform are in place, awaiting the actual elevator compartment.  This will make seats in the balcony more convenient to everyone, including the handicapped.

Almost unnoticed under foot in the lobby is the work being done to restore the original terrazzo flooring to its original shine.  The breaks in the beautiful old flooring are being properly filled, ground, sanded, and buffed to bring it back to life, and give it at least another 70 years of life!  I can hardly wait to see this floor returned to even better luster than I remember from my time in the sixties.  

Put it all together and you have a reborn venue; perhaps a transformation from a mere theater to a grand theatre.  She will be ready again to receive the title she was once given by newspapers and newsreels as a "temple to the arts"!