Built in 1889, the Sterling
Opera House, located across Elizabeth Street from the Derby Green, has been
deeply rooted in the Valley’s cultural and political traditions for more than
110 years. A veritable “Who’s Who” list of performers and celebrities have
appeared at the Sterling: from John Philip Sousa to Red Skelton; Harry Houdini
to Donald O’Connor; and Amelia Earhart to Lionel, John, and Ethel Barrymore.
The Sterling served as an opera house until 1933; from then until the
building’s closing in 1965, its two lower levels housed Derby’s City Hall and
Police Station.
Designer H.E. Ficken, one of the creators of Carnegie Hall, combined
several architectural styles in the Sterling. The exterior and rooftop and the
interior walls and doorways are Italianate Victorian and display the final
evolution of the Italian Baroque opera house. The interior-seating plan was
influence by German composer Richard Wagner's conception of a triangle seating
arrangement, with all the seats enjoying an unobstructed view of the stage. No
box seats were used, but two "piano boxes" were located on either
side of the stage to accommodate two Sterling Pianos. A
proscenium arch frames the 60-by-34 foot stage. Below are 10 dressing rooms.
The auditorium boasts an orchestra pit, two gracefully sweeping balconies, and
fine examples of bottle glass, keystone arches and wrought iron work.
Acoustically, the Sterling has no equal. Even a whisper can be heard clearly
from all areas of the auditorium.
Almost as storied as the
Sterling itself have been the dedicated groups committed to its restoration and
eventual revitalization. From the 1970’s through the mid-90’s the Sterling
Opera House Foundation, led initially by the late Vivian Kellams, included
current Valley Community Foundation Board Member Alan Tyma. The group began to
create awareness of the Sterling’s place in Derby’s and the Valley’s history,
and successfully had the Sterling listed as the first structure on the National
Register of Historic Places. In the 1990's, Paul Lane formed the Old Birmingham
Business Association (OBBA) and its subsidiary Save Our Sterling (SOS) took up
the charge, drumming up support for the opera house’s restoration. Harvey
Bletchman, then artistic director of SOS, along with other members of the
group, organized local soirees with a variety of musical themes to raise funds
for, and create cultural awareness of, the Sterling.
Those fundraising efforts generated
enough to enable the current members to create the Sterling Opera House
Endowment Fund at the Valley Community Foundation. “We want people to be able
to use and visit the Sterling 100 years from now,” said Association President
Beth Colette. “By creating this Endowment, we are setting aside money that has
come in from so many caring Valley residents to help the Sterling carry on its
rich traditions.” Board member Judy Augusta agreed. “This beautiful building
has the opportunity to become a vital component of the revitalization of
downtown Derby,” she said. “This Fund will allow other groups who follow in our
footsteps to address its needs well into the future and keep its wonderful
spirit alive.”
Through
the years, the efforts of Congressional and State representatives, along with
the Connecticut Dept. of Economic and Community Development, have produced
funds to help with this project. Current Derby Mayor Anthony Staffieri, a
former member of OBBA, has continued ongoing efforts to restore the Sterling.
At present, the exterior has been completely renovated, and the City is moving
forward with plans for restoration of the interior. “The City is pursuing
additional funding for the Opera House through historic preservation funds and
federal and state tax credits,” said Sheila O’Malley, Derby’s Director of
Economic and Community Development. Perhaps one of the greatest gifts the
Sterling has received, however, is the forward thinking of the dedicated groups
whose Endowment will help to ensure the Sterling is here for generations to
come. As Board Member Markanthony Izzo so aptly said, “There is no time like
the present to plan for the future.”
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