AUBURN 鈥 The South Street corridor has been splashed with some
1930s art deco style.
The Cayuga County Arts Council unveiled the doors to the Auburn
Schine Theater at 4 p.m. Friday before more than 30 onlookers. As
soon as the black plastic tarp was pulled down, several in
attendance could be heard applauding "How beautiful" and "That's
amazing" above the horns and engines of midday South Street
traffic.
The doors' solid green and terra cotta-colored sections of
laminated plastic are bisected by curved bars of black and white.
High-gloss metal trim encases the doors' edges. This art deco
design pattern has also been restored to the theater's box
office.
"I've been a big art deco fan for a long time, so I'm not
surprised by the colors," said Peter Wisbey, director of the Seward
House. "They're beautiful landscape colors that reinforce that the
theater used to be big, showy and splashy, and can be again."
The crowd only saw 12 of the 22 doors that arts patrons will one
day pass through to enjoy an evening of performing arts. That day
remains distant - as far away as 2012, estimates Dia Carabajal,
president of the Cayuga County Arts Council. But she believes that
the renovated doors represent a chance to celebrate something
positive in downtown Auburn.
"These doors mark a milestone and give a real new look to the
South Street corridor," Carabajal said.
The doors are the product of several years of work with a price
tag topping $175,000. The gradual influx of funds from New York
state resulted in an equally gradual restoration process of more
than six years. Although the cost and length of the project has
drawn criticism from some members of the community, Carabajal
believes they are outnumbered by the theater's supporters.
"There is a silent group of nostalgic Auburnians who really want
to see this project fly," Carabajal said.
