Many years in the making, The Walnut Street Theatre is finally getting its roof replaced. On Wednesday, Dec. 14, workers were marching along the steep slopes of the former church building to strip away the old shingles.
“[We are] excited to be underway! Our hopes are that others will now want to jump in and help with the rest of the renovations, so we can reopen as soon as possible. We are staying positive,” Johnson says.
Over time, the building became severely damaged due to weather conditions, and is currently in need of many structural fixes.
A previous article stated that The Walnut Street Theatre Association was issued a one-year building permit in order to make the building repairs listed in an engineer’s report. Major areas for repairs include roof decking and material, main ingress/egress stairway, and basement window lintel, according to Kyle Lee, City of Bolivar Community Development Director and Building Inspector.
As Johnson says, the donor of the new roof would like to remain anonymous. She hopes for the building to be completely repaired in a few years, the previous article stated.
Letters of support for potential grants can be mailed to 114 W Walnut St., Bolivar, MO. Assistance is also needed to clean, make repairs, and perform other helpful tasks as assigned. To volunteer, contact The Walnut Street Theatre Association through their Facebook page.
