"You never know what's what until you open up the walls"

Over the 2+ years we have been planning the renovation, this piece of advice has come to us from many people who have done major renovations on their homes or commercial properties, and it really is true. 

This morning, the north wall of the auditorium - a masonry wall we had hoped to reuse to save money - had to be demolished. Our structural engineer, after getting a close look at it and all of its cut-in openings and cracks, determined that it was not sound enough to support what we need it to support in the renovated building. Besides the trusses that will span the playing area (eliminating the need for the structural columns we just got rid of), this wall has to help support the new second floor over the Green Room/Dressing Rooms. It was too old, too brittle and just not up to the task. So, with a few slices of the saw, and a gentle nudge from the Bobcat, it fell.

In other news, the plumbing subcontractor has dug trenches and laid PVC pipe for the water we'll need. It's exciting to see the pipes that will feed our new Concession Services counter and the water fountains in the West Lobby. In addition, the slab at the rear of the building (formerly the Shop and Green Room) has been removed and new fill dirt will be brought in soon in preparation for pouring the slab that will support our new two-story building.