Glasgow, Ky. (WBKO) – A piece of Glasgow's story celebrates a comeback thanks to the work of a local artist.
The facade of the former Trigg theater, a landmark in the city center, has been carefully restored and offers the community an insight into the past.
The Trigg Theater was a once lively part of the entertainment scene from Glasgow and showed a Marquee and an unmistakable black and white design that is covered in vitrolite-a pigmented, opaque structural glass, which is popular at the beginning of the 20th century.
“Hundreds of thousands of children grew there every Saturday in Glasgow and in Barren County to watch the roles and cartoons and see a western in the city,” said Sam Terry, historian of Barren County.
Before it was the Trigg Theater, the building housed the Lion Opera House, Glasgow's first permanent Moving Picture Theater.
On May 8, 1912 the Glasgow times Called the arrival of Anees K. Malauf, a Syrian immigrant and a professional showman who had traveled extensively before setting up in Glasgow.
Malauf converted a large room next to the Trigg National Bank into a state -of -the -art film house and brought silent films into the community when the technology was still in its infancy.
The Lion Opera House quickly became a local favorite that showed high -quality silent films and introduced the audience to the latest cinematic advances. In the mid -1910s, another event location, The Dixie Theater, opened nearby, which led to the consolidation of Glasgow's early film houses.
Finally W. Bruce Aspery from Scottsville acquired the building, expanded the room and opened it in 1915 as a trigg. He later built the Plaza Theater, which became a leading goal for film visitors with Hollywood blockbusters and live performances by stars from stars like Gene Autry, Minnie Pearl and Dolly Parton.
Over the years, the Trigg Theater Building switched to a law firm that belonged to Jeff and Betty Herbert for the first time. Today it belongs to Brian Pack and his wife.
However, the time demanded the structure. A few years ago, the original vitrolite fell and fell onto the sidewalk below.
Pack recognized the historical importance of the building and commissioned the help of the local Muralist Casey page.
“I like the fact that it captures a lot, you know what this building has been about for over 100 years,” said Pack.
As one of the older buildings around the Glasgow Square, a bit of preparatory work was required before the restoration could begin. Page finally reproduced the iconic look of the theater, a process that he found relatively easy.
“We had a few reference photos from the 60s and 70s that had been taken – a lot of pictures from behind when it was a theater,” said Page. “We just pulled all of these lines from these pictures to get what we have today.”
Pack is proud to play a role in the preservation of Glasgow's story.
Downtown has been subjected to several renovation work in recent years, whereby business owners are working on maintaining their charm. In the law firm, the Herberts once exposed themselves to a hallway with vintage film posters, an allusion to the cinematic past of the building.
“It was important for them that this building held part of his heritage and they passed it on to me,” said Pack.
In the meantime, Page has another ambitious project in its sights – a barn in each of the 120 districts of Kentucky.
Follow his trip on Facebook at Casey Paints to see his progress.
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