A LIGHT TRANFORMATION AT THE PRINCESS

Several months ago, James Ryan's "Rocky Top Sign & Neon" company took on the task of refurbishing the Princess lights.  They were in pretty bad shape, having gotten wet many times from the leaky roof, but today they hang proudly from the Princess auditorium ceiling!

The lights began a slow transformation, back to near perfect condition.  First everything had to be removed from the fixtures, then primered, and repainted.  The electrical parts had to be completely replaced, which included some purple neon fixtures, which Ryan's company made.  This neon will give the auditorium ceiling a special glow that will reflect off the painted ceiling.

"Rocky Top's" work continues outside on the marquee frame too.  They expect to be attaching the actual marquee pieces very soon.

With the ceiling complete, "Superior Interiors" continues painting the rest of the Princess, and let me tell you, it's looking great!  And wait until you see the proscenium!  The old fir wood is so soft to the touch, and it really soaked up the paint that was applied.  It looks fantastic and any actor would be proud to stand between them.

I won't be showing you anymore wide-angle shots of the auditorium for now.  I want the completed job to be a total surprise to you as you walk in the Princess, and for some, it will be for the first time.  You'll love it!

However, suffice it to say that the work continues.  The new bathrooms have been tiled to match the original pattern and color of the old restrooms on the mezzanine level.

The elevator shaft work progresses with steel rising to the balcony level.

And, of special interest to me is the work being done to bring back the shine of the terrazzo floor in the lobby and at the entrance to the Princess outside.  Even us old timers have never seen it shining with its original luster!

So, it can't be long until you get the call to come she her!

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A COUPLE OF YEARS MAKE

Well, truthfully it hasn't been quite 2 years, but in November 2009 I took photos of the inside of the Princess before any restoration work began.  I wanted to document the project from beginning to end.

The old leaky roof was still in place and water poured in every time there was inclement weather.  Knowing this, made my heart ache whenever there was snow or rain for 9 months.  Everything below was wet, moldy, and rusting in place!  The new roof was constructed in August of 2010.

I shot this light fixture that day, and since there is no shiny new metal above it, I know the new roof was not yet in place.  Real restoration work didn't really begin until around July 2010 when the old seats were removed and hauled away.  They were in very sad shape; mold, rust, rot, and more rust was devouring them!

The new fixtures are going up, but they are not yet complete, because, if you look at the blog header (above) you can distinctly see that there is glass between the second and bottom tier, and also attached to the bottom of the last tier.

Against the new paint, being added by Tim Plemons, we can get a little glimpse of the finished product.  The restored 1939 fixtures hanging from a beautifully restored "art deco" painted ceiling will greet us at the grand opening.  It will bring to mind the days when the Princess still showed its true colors; from the ceiling to the floor.

Tim Plemons is following Frank Sparkman's architectural drawings in order to recreate the paint scheme as closely as possible.  All the colors, shapes, and measurements are recorded for him to follow.  Does that make it easy?  Think about it...he has to take a little rendition the draftsman created on paper, and make it span exactly on the huge Princess ceiling!  He does it all either crouching or laying on his back while doing it!

Tim taking a rare break.  It's rare to actually sit or stand doing this work.

Around the old fixture photo above, you can see a little of the original paint.  This was just one of the clues Sparkman had when he had to recreate the paint scheme and colors for the restoration.  Without this, and a couple of other clues, the work could have never matched the original intent of the original architect, Joe Holman, and Crescent management.

As my project work t-shirt says, "We're turning the lights on!"