Lexington Opera House flips switch on new marquee. Venue was hard to spot for years.
The Lexington Opera House has long been the premier live arts venue in downtown.
But many people don’t realize it’s there.
That changed Wednesday night when a new LED exterior marquee was officially unveiled and lit in front of a crowd of more than 50 people. It’s the first time in more than 40 years that the Opera House, at the corner of North Broadway and Short Street, has had a lighted marquee.
“For the first time ... since the 1970s, an ornate and highly visible marquee will welcome Opera House patrons and identify what live entertainment is playing and when,” said Bill Owen, Lexington Center Corp., CEO and president. Lexington Center Corp. oversees the Opera House.
Wagner Electric Sign Company, which specializes in refurbishing and replacing marquees for historical theaters, built and designed the new marquee. It takes design cues from the historic architecture of the Opera House building.
The lower part of the marquee weighs 6,300 pounds. The weight of the blade, or top portion of the marquee, is 3,250 pounds. The sign has more than 1,100 LED bulbs.
The $325,000 cost for the marquee was split between the Opera House Fund, the nonprofit fundraising arm of the Opera House, and the Lexington Center Corp.
Originally built in 1886, the Opera House has little visible signage alerting locals and visitors of its location. On the Short Street side, upcoming shows for its Broadway Live series are advertised using large banners. But other local events are not advertised.
Now, all current and upcoming shows can be advertised on the marquee on busy Broadway, Opera House officials said.
“It was once easy to walk by the Opera House entrance on Broadway and not even know it was there,” said Luann Franklin, Lexington Opera House director of Performing Arts. “While the original capstone names the venue on top of the building, it is out of sight for both pedestrians and vehicle traffic.”
This story was originally published March 5, 2020 at 11:49 AM.
