Stephen F. Austin State University

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - "Amazing," "awesome," and "beautiful" are all appropriate adjectives for describing the transformation that is nearing completion at Stephen F. Austin State University's The Art Center @ The Old Opera House.

The 1.7 million dollar renovations that have taken place during the last calendar year have completely changed the interior of the building located at 329 E. Main St. in downtown Nacogdoches. The SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Art invite the entire community to the center's grand opening reception at 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27.

"Visitors will be amazed at the changes that have taken place," said Shannon Bailey, SFA gallery director. "The dark floors and mezzanine level are gone, the once boarded-up windows are exposed, and the second floor now houses a 1,722 square foot gallery, conference room, offices and a storage and preparation room."

The first floor renovations include a 2,852 square foot gallery with 14-foot ceilings and a catering kitchen.

"Everyone who has had a chance to see it thus far has been impressed with the use of stainless steel, glass, wood and light colors,"
continued Bailey. "It's crisp and sharp, and the clean lines throughout provide a perfect setting for fantastic art."

Built on the site of the former Mitchell Hotel, the historic building has long been associated with the arts. According to Jere Jackson, director of the Center for East Texas Studies, in 1889, John Schmidt commissioned architect Diedrich Rulfs to build an opera house that would act as a stop-over place for theatrical companies as they traveled to Houston and Shreveport.

The first floor originally held a ticket office, general merchandise store and a confectionary. Patrons climbed wide stairs to the second floor to reach a theater complete with a gallery section, dressing rooms and outside stairway that provided access for actors and scenery.

The Opera House was home to numerous operas, plays, melodramas, burlesques and magic shows. It is even rumored that the famous Marx Brothers developed their improvisational style of comedy while performing there.

The Opera House was also used for community recitals, benefits, dances and meetings.

In 1923, Schmidt sold the building to D.K. and Willie Maud Cason. The new owners replaced the original red brick facade and renamed the building the Cason Building.

Over the next several decades, the building was home to Cason-Monk Furniture, Mize Department Store, the offices of architect Hal Tucker and the Hooper-Barr Art Gallery.

In 2000, with the assistance of Pineywoods Architectural Preservation, Inc., the SFA Department of Art began using the building as an art gallery, with the first exhibition, "Antique Tools from the Collection J.E. Kingham," running in June and July.

In 2001, the D.K. Cason Estate donated the property to the SFA Real Estate Foundation, Inc. with the stipulations that the property be preserved, made available to the community, and its use be associated with the arts.

And so the latest vision for the building began: a center for the visual arts to serve SFA and the greater East Texas community.

"Eloise Adams, former SFA gallery director; David Lewis, director of the School of Art, Richard Berry, former dean of the College of Fine Arts; Jerry Holbert, former vice president of university advancement, the SFA Friends of the Visual Arts; and Jerry Sutton of Morgan, Hill, Sutton and Mitchell Architects all worked tirelessly to make this dream a reality," said Shannon Bailey, SFA gallery director.

They took small steps toward the renovations, working first on the facade with the help of a grant from the city and a donation from Nacogdoches Junior Forum. The next steps were a first-floor bathroom and the front wall that provided additional exhibition space.

These changes helped to make the building usable as an art gallery, but they were only temporary fixes, explained Bailey. The ultimate goal was climate-controlled gallery space suitable for high caliber art exhibitions.

"Thanks to the community's generous response to our fund raising campaign, we were able to begin the major renovation last spring," she said. "And thanks to corporate sponsors such as Shannon Smith, financial planner with A.G. Edwards, and Dr. Shannon L. Smith of Cataract, Glaucoma & Retina Consultants of East Texas, we are able to open two fabulous exhibitions in this space on the 27th."

Bailey added that funding is still needed to furnish the building, wrap up some of the renovation costs and build an endowment for future exhibitions.

"We've made a great start, and I'm excited about what the future holds. I believe this center will eventually transform the downtown area and art in this region," she continued. "The Art Center @ The Old Opera House has come full circle in serving as a center for entertainment and learning."

The center's grand opening will begin with a Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting and remarks by Dr, Richard Berry, SFA associate provost; Dr.
John Goodall, interim dean of the College of Fine Arts; Dr. David Lewis, director of the School of Art; and Shannon Bailey, SFA gallery director. The reception will be catered by Shelly's.

After the opening, regular gallery hours will be 12:30 to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.

For more information, please call (936) 468-1131.