Yesterday morning at 5:30am, the wood roof trusses that will support the new, higher roof over the auditorium arrived and were carefully lifted on top of the new walls. As you can see, bundles of them were laid flat and then separately put up in place. (the framed wall in the middle of the playing space is just temporary - there to help support this process).
In the back of the site, the crew is digging the pit that will contain elevator machinery and grading the dirt in preparation for the new concrete. As soon as the slab is in place the framing crew can start making walls appear for the new Patron Restrooms, Dressing Rooms and the big new floor above where the Classroom/Rehearsal Room will be located.
In the West Lobby, new floor beams are being hammered into place, roughly where the new Technical Booth will be. These replace the beams that were found to be in less-than-stellar condition. Another "Demolition Surprise"!
In the lobby, new wood beams have appeared to support the existing roof there, which we are reusing, and which supports the "MAIN STREET THEATER" sign and parapet. This is a good example of "on the fly" design: after demolition, the structural engineer determined that the existing wood joists (which we had planned on using) were not in good shape (they had been spliced too many times over the years) and he came up with a practical, inexpensive solution that actually gives us a more gracious and open space. I especially love the orange steel beam that we uncovered in demo, and which will remain just as it is. A little "patina" of our 75-year-old building that will adorn the new lobby.
What it looked like before with the old joists:
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