The Rochester Museum of Fine Arts is pleased to announce a permanent exhibition featuring framed fragments of the historic grand drape curtain found in the Rochester Opera House. The exhibit is located outside the theater in City Hall, 31 Wakefield Street.
The Rochester Opera House opened on Memorial Day 1908 with ten magnificent scenery curtains hand-painted on linen by the O.L. Story Scenic Studio of Boston. These grand drapes featured lavish center scenes accented with elaborate fringe and tassels, creating the illusion of heavy drapery.
During restoration work in 1996, one final tattered curtain was discovered and placed into storage for safekeeping. Over time, its location was forgotten until a renewed search in 2011 uncovered the century-old treasure hidden in the theatre’s fly space.
Christine Hadsel, Director of Curtains Without Borders in Vermont, assisted with the curtain’s unveiling and evaluation. Although a full restoration was determined to be unfeasible due to extensive deterioration, the artistry and beauty of the grand drape endured.
To preserve and share the legacy of these priceless hand-painted theatre curtains, fragments of the original drape were carefully preserved and transformed into framed vignettes. Each piece is unique, showcasing intricate colors, textures, and designs reminiscent of impressionist paintings and decorative motifs from around the world.
Martha Cox of Great Works Painting Restoration and Lee Copp of Timeless Framing collaborated to preserve and frame the surviving pieces. Cox explained, “Artifacts like these theatre curtains are significant historical documents that deserve to be preserved, maintained and retained as part of the overall history of the Rochester Opera House.”
