A Piece of Woodland Theatre’s History Returns

A new tower now rises above the facade of Woodland Theatre, recreating a feature that was part of the original building when it opened as a movie theater in 1940. While the new structure includes modern lighting, theatre officials said its design pays tribute to the theatre’s history. Plans for the tower began taking shape after the theatre’s front facade was renovated roughly five to six years ago. Peggy Townley of Woodland Theatre said the goal was to bring the building closer to its historic appearance, but finding funding and the right company to complete the work took time.

This year, the plans finally became reality. Townley said Baldwin Signs built and installed the tower, which arrived in three sections and was assembled on-site. The new tower is based on the original design from the 1940s. When the theatre’s barn-board facade was replaced with stucco, Townley said Tom Bristol created a design that incorporated the tower, drawing from the building’s original appearance. For Woodland Theatre, the project is about more than restoring an architectural feature; it’s about helping people recognize the building as a theatre.

Townley said people in the surrounding area sometimes had difficulty identifying the building because there was little on the exterior to make it stand out. Residents Jim and Eden Jill Davidson have also had a part in the tower project after Eden became involved in Woodland Theatre productions. During Eden Davidson’s retirement, she said she participated in “Radium Girls” and “Into the Woods.” After her father, Edward F. Borgias, passed away, Davidson said she and Jim decided to use $10,000 of his estate to help fund the theatre’s tower, making the donation in honor of Borgias. “My dad would have loved my involvement in the plays and always was supportive of artists,” Davidson said.

The entire tower installation cost just under $25,000. Townley said the remaining funds came from Woodland Theatre’s capital funds, which are supported in large part by major donors. For the Davidsons, the contribution was both a way to honor Eden Davidson’s father and to support a theatre that had become meaningful to them. “It is such a joy to catch a glimpse of the tower that now draws attention to the hidden treasure we know and love as Woodland Theatre,” Eden Davidson said. “Copious amounts of talent and entertainment emanates from within that building, and it is my hope that more people will discover this treasure and that the seats within will never be vacant.” The tower project is part of a larger effort to maintain and improve the historic theatre, Townley noted.

Earlier this year, the theatre replaced cables with rods to help stabilize the bowed walls of the auditorium, work intended to help prepare the building for a future roof replacement. The auditorium roof is approximately 50 years old, and Townley said it does not have soffits and has an asbestos layer underneath it. Woodland Theatre has applied twice for Heritage Capital funding but was not selected. Townley said the theatre expects to be eligible to apply for state Building for the Arts funding in approximately two years. Other improvements are underway as well. Townley said the organization recently installed a new $6,000 lighting control board and is working toward replacing the theatre’s incandescent stage lights with LED lighting. The theatre plans to seek funding to help with that upgrade also, she said.