City of North Bend release – Forty-seven years after they were removed, the domes are going back on the roof at the Liberty Theatre! Everyone is invited to watch the dome installation on Monday, July 25th. Details are subject to change, so please check the www.libertytheatre.org page or Liberty Theatre FB page for updated information. Two copper domes, manufactured according to the historical design, have been crafted by Shane McGowne of McGowne Ironworks, a local sheet metal contractor. Each crown is approximately 8 1/2 feet in diameter. The domes will be placed atop the pilasters on the north and south east corners of the building. A 20-foot flagpole will extend from the top of each dome. Initially designed by Portland architect John Tourtellotte (who also designed the North Bend Hotel), the Liberty Theatre was built in a Moorish Revival style in 1924. The theatre was owned by Robert Banks of the Kruse & Banks Shipbuilding Company and first rented to Little Theatre on the Bay in 1959, and later sold to the performing arts group in 1974. By 1975, the roof was leaking, and the domes were removed to replace the roofing material. According to Butch Schroeder, a local builder, one of the domes was beyond repair and was discarded; the other he helped be repurposed into a fireplace at a local residence. “The city of North Bend has been instrumental in the Liberty Theatre restoration partnership, dedicating urban renewal funds to help what was once an older, more decayed building into a vibrant performing arts center,” said Jeanne Woods, restoration project chairperson. The domes and reroofing are being partially funded from National Park Service funds by a grant to the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office and the Historic Revitalization Subgrant program (HRSP). This program funds physical preservation projects for historical sites, including architectural/engineering services and physical preservation. The goal of the HRSP is to support the rehabilitation of historic properties at the National, State, and local level of significance, in order to rehabilitate, protect, and foster economic development of rural communities through subgrants which come from States, Tribes, Certified Local Governments, and non-profits.
