1. Delphi Opera House anchors
downtown revival
Domenica Bongiovanni
Next Slide
39 Photos
Delphi Opera House reborn
DELPHI — At the north corner of the Courthouse square, historical
visionaries watch over those who pass them on the sidewalk.
Wabash & Erie Canal contractor Reed Case, poet James Whitcomb Riley,
artist Roy Trobaugh. In total, eight people are immortalized on a mural
painted over bricks etched with more than a century of life. At the top, the
emblazoned phrase “Pursue the Dream” heralds the movers and shakers,
and encourages new ones.
2. A single element of the figuresʼ diverse achievements unites them: They
have carved indelible marks that shaped Delphi and rippled outward.
This historical identity is what many community members recognize as a
celebration of the past that can fuel the cityʼs economic development. Their
efforts depend a great deal on a reinvigorated downtown and its singular
Delphi Opera House.
Restoring the quirky but endearing performance space, with its intimately
majestic third-floor stage that was long out of public sight, was the
centerpiece of the proposal that netted Delphi a 2012 Stellar Communities
designation by the state and millions of dollars in funding.
The plan is for the opera house to anchor a cultural and entertainment hub
that will attract patrons from the region. Leveraging its own programming
and ambiance, the venue is working with restaurants, antique and specialty
shops, the Opera House Gallery of Contemporary Art and others to create
an experience that will draw residents and visitors.
“A lot of small communities and even bigger communities are using art as an
economic development tool,” said former Delphi Mayor Randy Strasser.
The blueprint is there. Statistics from Americans for the Arts and the League
of Historic American Theatres show how venues like this one can grow jobs
and revenue in small communities. Now Delphi must find its specific formula.
The opera house is past the major renovations and in its second season, and
the reality of grinding operational responsibilities has set in fully. Executive
director Sara Daly Brosman and Anita Werling, the president of the Delphi
Opera House Inc. board, know this. They recognize what worked in the
successful inaugural season as they carefully continue to navigate
uncharted territory.
And with an expanded history center and archives in the works, theyʼre
3. The Delphi Dramatic Club
tried to keep the third-
floor opera house open in
the early 20th century,
but the fire inspector
condemned the space as
unsafe in 1914. (Photo:
Provided by Delphi
Preservation Society)
building more than a performing arts space.
“(We) want visits here to be an experience,” Brosman said.
***
A storied history — and then abandonment
The Delphi Opera Houseʼs history — a major selling point — is key to
realizing its potential to boost economic development.
The third-floor City Hall, as it was initially called, was part of a three-story
structure that local businessmen Joseph Assion and John Ruffing
contracted with a Lafayette man to build, according to an account by Delphi
historian Charles E. Gerard. Completed in 1865, the first floor contained
three store rooms and residence rooms comprised the second, he wrote.
It was part of a wave of building and development
that included larger homes and businesses that were
higher quality than their quicker, cheaper pioneering
predecessors that were constructed from about
1824 to 1855, according to Gerard. Local
newspapers highlighted Delphiʼs successful business
climate and beauty. Additionally, the town became a
city in 1866 and brought on a mayor, city council and
city officers, he wrote.
Not meant as a government space, the City Hall
served as a spot for July 4 celebrations, dances and
other entertainment for the community, according to
Gerard. Groups including the Young Folksʼ Dancing
Association and the Irish Total Abstinence Society of
Delphi used it.
In the early 1880s, businessman and musician John Lathrope, likely along
4. with Ruffing, refashioned the City Hall into a new, impressive performing arts
space — the Lathrope and Ruffing Opera House, according to Gerard.
During its run, it had competition from other venues but soon rose to be the
most prominent, he wrote.
Manager Lathrope, known for his drive and impeccable taste, booked a huge
splash for the opening concert: famous singer Marie Litta with the touring
Litta Grand Opera Co. Until the turn of the century, the opera houseʼs
entertainment reigned with Riley, drama troupes from New York, East Indian
music, comedy acts, orchestras, bands, community events and more,
according to Gerard.
The venueʼs descent began in 1900, Gerard wrote, which was caused by
changed opinions, an aging Lathrope and a handful of motion picture
theaters, among other factors. The powerful Delphi Dramatic Club tried
valiantly to keep it open. But calls for a new, updated venue increased amid
safety concerns because of the opera houseʼs single entry and exit,
according to the historian. The fire inspector condemned it in 1914.
“Delphi is an interesting case because Iʼve never heard of a theater that was
closed down because it was deemed unsafe and then sat empty,” said Ken
Stein, president and CEO of the League of Historic American Theaters.
Usually, he said, theaters performed well, often converting to movie houses
later on and then suffering once multiscreen cineplexes took over.
Since then, passing decades rubbed away its well-chronicled magnificence
in the memories of each generation. While the first and second floors cycled
through several uses, including a pharmacy, residences and offices, the third
floor was relegated to storage and a workshop. A 2009 photo shows peeling
wallpaper, weathered seating with store signage and crates stacked on the
stage.
That an opera house featuring the famous had once existed on a dirty upper
5. floor of an old building had practically become a myth.
Writer Stacy Post, who grew up in Delphi in the 1970s and 1980s, was only
vaguely aware of the performance space after her fourth-grade Indiana
history class mentioned that Riley read there.
“I knew (the opera house) in a vague sense that it was something at one
time,” Post said. “You couldnʼt go see it or visit it. It was not in any shape or
form for the public to visit.”
Dan McCain, the Wabash and Erie Canal Association president, didnʼt realize
anything like the opera house existed upstairs until about 20 years ago, he
said. He grew up in Delphi and has been a driving force behind the canal
interpretive center, trails and grounds.
The Delphi Opera House stood in disrepair in 2009. (Photo: Photo
provided/Alan McConnell)
McCainʼs uncle told him that his grandfather had performed as a stage actor
6. there, scribbling his name on the backstage walls as other performers have
since the 19th century, McCain said.
“We sometimes donʼt even know about our own communities, and we grow
up in them,” he said.
New life
Underneath the grime, Werling saw potential. A newcomer to Delphi in 2005,
she became involved with the Delphi Preservation Society and worked as a
full-time volunteer. The opera house captured her, and she spearheaded the
move to make it into a performing arts center.
“I still get exciting vibes when Iʼm up in that room,” Werling said. “The sense
of people from the past, audiences enjoying ... whoeverʼs up on the stage.”
The Delphi Preservation Society bought two-thirds of the building in 1996
and the other third in 2007. In the past decade-plus, the buildingʼs needs
were analyzed and restored. Major structural repairs — including a new roof
— occurred along with aesthetic ones, like matching original wallpapers and
painting on faux wood paneling, among many others.
Volunteers put in countless hours. Norm Miller, a retired teacher from Delphi
Community High School, has been a sponsor and volunteer along with his
wife during the renovations and now. Currently, Brosman is the only full-time
employee.
7. Anita Werling looks over the layers of wall paper that once covered the
wall and ceiling inside the former opera house in Delphi Wednesday,
November 1, 2006. Artists performing in the opera house often would
sign their names on the wall. With the help of a grant, restoration will
begin on the opera house. The building on the east side of the
downtown Delphi square was constructed in 1864. It was remodeled to
include the opera house in 1882. Werling is president of the Delphi
Preservation Society. (Photo: JOURNAL & COURIER)
“You canʼt pay all these people to do what theyʼre doing because we
wouldnʼt be able to survive financially,” Miller said.
The resulting upgrades are a mix of past and present. A grand staircase
sweeps visitors from the lobby to second-floor art and reading rooms. The
third floor captures attention with its warm interior and light wood coloring.
Deep maroons, greens and golds jump off the curtains and intricate
wallpaper patterns, which offset a wide stage. Ten-thousand square feet,
including a banquet hall, kitchen and more, have been added.
8. The original glass, which appears rippled to 21st-century eyes, remains.
Maroon curtains from Target grace the alcoves housing sound equipment.
Small unpatched scrapes and painted-over splinters dot the space. Carrying
authenticity, the imperfections tell a story, Brosman said.
“If you would have come in as an individual or a group and repurposed it and
reconfigured it, it would have lost something or seem almost sacrilegious to
change it and make it something completely different,” she said.
The restorations cost more than $4 million, Werling said. More than
$2,500,000 came from Stellar — specifically the Office of Community and
Rural Affairs and the Indiana Housing and Community Development
Authority — and the rest was pledged by the preservation society, she said.
The Jeffris Family Foundation and others have contributed to the society,
which also has a capital campaign to raise money toward the debt, she said.
But the project is not yet complete. The storied single entry and exit, which
is the original stairwell that leads to the street, hasnʼt been fully refurbished.
The mural on the back wall needs to be sealed. An archive room will house
research. And at some point that is yet unscheduled, Werling said the
preservation society would like to restore what was once a green room for
performers in the building next door.
The right entertainment
While the history of a venue is enchanting, its programming must deliver as
well.
Stein said that means successful answers to these questions: What does a
community want? What does it need? What will it support?
No one-size-fits-all solution exists, he said. For example, at the Georgetown
Palace Theatre in Georgetown, Texas — a venue about 30 miles north of the
live music capital of Austin — this meant producing community theater, he
9. said. For others, itʼs programming traveling shows that fit a smaller stage.
Jeff Daniels performed at the Delphi Opera House in October
2015. (Photo: Photo provided/Mike Lang from M Lang Photography)
Although venues in small towns might not have to directly compete with
similar performance spaces, they must contend with other easily accessible
entertainment.
“Your biggest competition usually isnʼt another theater or another
performance space ... (itʼs) time and whether or not you can convince your
audience, ‘Donʼt turn on the TV tonight — come out and see a live
performance,ʼ” Stein said.
“So I always tell theaters, ‘Your biggest competition is ... “Dancing With the
Stars” or “The Voice” or whatever.ʼ”
For its inaugural season, Brosman said the venue put together an eclectic
mix of artists that would appeal to several audiences.
10. Thirty-two event days ran from October 2015 through June 2016. This
season, theyʼre planning for at least 30 shows. So far, the biggest splash has
been actor Jeff Daniels, who played with the Ben Daniels Band. Singer-
songwriter Kelley McRae, comedian Drew Hastings and bluegrass band The
Whipstitch Sallies also have graced the stage. Local artists and ensembles,
including Scott Greeson and Trouble with Monday and Purdue Musical
Organizationsʼ Heart and Soul, have performed there as well.
Their prices reflect a variety of events, too, ranging from free to $100 last
year. Werling said the average ticket cost was about $21, not including the
free concerts, which were meant to give back to the community and offer a
no-risk opportunity to try out the theater.
Contributing to the season costs are sponsors — 22 are listed in the fall
performances booklet — facility rentals and ticket sales, Werling and
Brosman said. Grants have helped the opera house host free concerts, they
said.
As Brosman refines the programming plan, she said, sheʼs taking note of
whom they are attracting. For the first season, Brosman and Werling said
between 30 and 40 percent of concertgoers were from Lafayette and West
Lafayette.
They aim to reach audiences inside Delphi and beyond its borders. Almost
2,900 people reside in the city, about 8,000 in the ZIP code and more than
20,000 in Carroll County, according to 2010 U.S. census data. The
population of the five counties touching Carroll is more than 350,000, the
data state.
When the lights are out
The opera house defines the intimate performance setting.
Without tables or space for dancing, the bottom floor holds about 200
11. patrons seated, and the balcony accommodates an additional 33. Audience
members are spread wider than they are deep, which creates a relatively
close proximity to the stage, even for those in the back row. Zeroing in on
the performer is easy.
“You felt like you were close enough to the stage that you could get eye
contact with every single person,” said Pete Circle, a patron and restaurant
owner in Delphi. “Itʼs more engaging to the crowd, you know. Itʼs not
overwhelming.”
Buy Photo
Metal brackets on the balcony Tuesday, October 25, 2016, at the Delphi
Opera House in Delphi. (Photo: John Terhune/Journal & Courier)
Performers have an enviable view as well. The opportunity to sit on such a
historic stage — one that even retains the limelight trough that illuminated
the acts — isnʼt lost on the artists who play the opera house.
12. Before his 2015 show, Daniels told the Journal & Courier he loved venues like
this.
“The fact that a community like Delphi, you know, put in the time and money
to redo it, youʼve got to come. Youʼve got to go and play places like that,”
Daniels said.
“I want to be one of the people that goes to Delphi and plays that new opera
house versus just goes to Chicago and goes on to Minneapolis or
something.”
In the middle of her September show, singer-songwriter Carrie Newcomer
called the venue a gem.
For those who have come back, the space has the same magic. In June,
Post saw the premiere of her play, “All Washed Up.” She grew up in Delphi
and now lives in Danville, Indiana.
“Itʼs not lost on me that James Whitcomb Riley read there, you know, and
then my work has been there,” Post said.
“It gives me chills.”
***
A fresh look for Delphi
Hang out in Delphi for a bit, and youʼll notice a personable atmosphere.
People on the street will give you detailed directions if youʼre turned around.
Greetings from workers behind the counter at eateries arenʼt perfunctory.
Business owners sometimes hang closed signs in the window or post
revised hours on Facebook when they attend important family events — and
everyone wishes them well.
The spirit is evident to newcomers and longtime residents alike. Miller knew
13. shortly after he moved to town in 1968 that it would be his home. It was the
people, he said.
Circle echoes this. He and his wife, who is the principal of Delphi Community
High School, live in the Battle Ground area but are very much involved in
Delphi. After becoming the owner of the Sandwich Shop and now the new
Brick and Mortar Pub, heʼs met many residents over the past few years.
“Itʼs neat to be involved with a small town where when you walk down the
streets or walk to Wallmannʼs (Quality Foods) or get in your car to leave, you
look in the window of a car or business and you know (people),” Circle said.
Buy Photo
An original mural from Delphi Opera House still remains on stage
Tuesday, October 25, 2016, at the Delphi Opera House in
Delphi. (Photo: John Terhune/Journal & Courier)
Four years after its designation as a Stellar Community, Delphi is finishing up
14. a multipart plan to improve its downtown and trails with the intention of
boosting its economy, quality of life and tourism. Mayor Shane Evans and
Strasser said the strategic community investment plan has received about
$18 million in state and federal funding from the program, which comprises
state agencies that partner to support development in smaller communities.
City funds and matches from property owners are among other sources that
paid for Stellar improvements. The opera house renovations did not use local
tax dollars, according to a Delphi city document that tallied the totals.
With the opera house as a centerpiece of the project, other parts of the plan
include improved downtown facades, funds to renovate houses in core
neighborhoods, loft apartments, street lighting, new curbs, sidewalks and a
connecting trail.
The city still is wrapping up streetscapes, a trail project and housing
renovations, Evans said.
Many say these improvements are welcome, that the development
counteracts some difficulties and uncertainties Delphi has endured over the
past decade-plus.
When major employers Globe Valve and Chromcraft Revington closed in
2005 and 2008, respectively, the city lost 700 jobs, according to Journal &
Courier archives.
U.S. Census data show Delphi as having 3,015 residents in 2000 and 2,893
in 2010. Carroll Countyʼs population remained practically the same over the
10-year period, according to the data.
Opinions have been mixed about the Hoosier Heartland highway. The
section between Lafayette and Delphi was completed in 2012 and takes
motorists around the city instead of through it, as Old Indiana 25 did. While
traffic is more comfortable in four lanes instead of two, some have worried
15. the new quick route would make it easier for drivers to pass up Delphi
completely instead of stopping in.
“With ... the gravity thatʼs created by Purdue and Lafayette and West
Lafayette, with a four-lane highway, how do we keep some of the gravity
here and become part of that gravity and not just dry up and have things fall
down?” said Strasser, who was mayor when Delphi was selected as a Stellar
designee.
Now, along with businesses including Billʼs Rock Shop, the Sandwich Shop
and others, Strasser said Delphi has something that will stand out and the
room to grow is in place. Evans said persuading people to visit once,
whether through the Indiana Bacon Festival or another avenue, helps them
realize return visits are worth it. The popular summer festival brought in
9,000 people this year, said Julia Leahy, executive director of the Carroll
County Chamber of Commerce.
The changes have come with some doubt, however. Strasser, Miller and
McCain have heard the skepticism. While Circle served up food at his
Sandwich Shop, he said some customers told him they thought the opera
house renovations were a waste of taxpayer money.
16. Buy Photo
Metal brackets on the balcony Tuesday, October 25, 2016, at the Delphi
Opera House in Delphi. (Photo: John Terhune/Journal & Courier)
Krista Watson, who owns Delphi Hardware and Paint with her husband, Jeff,
said she thinks the opera houseʼs objective is a good idea but has mixed
emotions.
She commended Brosmanʼs work at the venue and thought the renovation
plans were beautiful, she said. Watson hasnʼt yet seen the completed project
but attended a few activities there in the early stages of repairs, she said.
“I think Sara Brosman is doing a wonderful job,” Watson said.
But Watson would have preferred to see citizens have a choice to fundraise
or donate to make improvements for the Stellar work, she said.
“I am not a person whoʼs in favor of using taxpayersʼ money to promote or to
17. build an entity such as this” regardless of whether the tax dollars were local,
state or federal, she said.
Overall, Watson said she thought the Stellar changes were too drastic and
occurred too quickly.
“It couldʼve been kept to a minimum and still achieved a good purpose for
the buildings and community,” she said.
How the opera house fits in
As the centerpiece of the Delphi Stellar Project 2012, the opera house is
meant to help pull the downtown upgrades together.
When choosing designees, OCRA senior project manager Matt Crouch said
the Stellar committee looks for a single central project that unites and drives
the rest of the changes. Projects that have fit the bill include parks, office
centers for entrepreneurs and theaters, he said.
The performing arts hold a special place in community development.
“Ultimately, when youʼre looking at creating that quality of place, thereʼs the
importance of that creative class,” Crouch said.
“This project, and I think this program, is helping remind communities to
focus on that creative class as they look to develop and increase their
population.”
Stein and Crouch also touted a small theaterʼs ability to boost the
businesses around it. It can bring people back downtown outside work
hours, Stein said, and cause them to dine out, hire a baby sitter and even
purchase new clothes, depending on the show.
In a city with less than 50,000 people, one historic theater can create
$950,000 in spending from it and its audiences, according to research from
18. Americans for the Arts and the League of Historic American Theatres. The
report goes on to state that the same theater can sustain 27 full-time
equivalent jobs, create $84,000 of revenue for state and local governments,
and supply $568,000 to household incomes.
The numbers come from averages of communities with similar populations,
the research stated, and the estimates arenʼt a replacement for a city-
specific economic study.
A theater also can work with other businesses to attract particular audiences
for certain shows, Stein said.
“A theater has the ability to be as specific as its community needs to be and
as broad as its community wants to be with its programming,” Stein said.
“So because of that, theaters are tremendous economic generators that
donʼt just feed themselves.”
Buy Photo
19. Artists who have performed, including Jeff Daniels and the Ben Daniels
Band, leaves their signatures backstage Tuesday, October 25, 2016, at
the Delphi Opera House in Delphi. (Photo: John Terhune/Journal &
Courier)
Downtown revitalization was a central reason for restoring the Delphi Opera
House, Werling said.
“Letʼs do it right,” Werling said. “Letʼs make this a performing arts venue and
community center that will not only be there for our residents but which will
draw people from outside and help us to restore the vitality of the downtown,
as well as the building.”
Brosman said she has already worked with restaurants, including Garden
Gate Tea House. When out-of-town groups come for lunch, for example, the
establishment suggests they tour the opera house and vice versa, she said.
Werling said the venueʼs close proximity to Martha Rose gifts and interiors,
the Opera House Gallery of Contemporary Art and the Stone House
Restaurant and Bakery bumps up the businessesʼ traffic on event days. For
example, Times Past Antiques vendor Billie Hedde stayed open an extra hour
to accommodate the number of guests who came to shop after leaving the
“Abraham Lincoln Through Song” show in February 2016, she said.
“I think businesses can feed off of what the opera house is doing and the
canal is doing,” Hedde said.
Circle, who owns the new Brick and Mortar Pub on East Main Street, sees
the venue as a vital part of the nightlife he wants to create downtown. The
momentum in Delphi is a factor Circle feels he can harness and help grow.
His pub boasts a comfortable menu with familiar food in an atmosphere
where he wants people to feel they can fit in, Circle said.
While each touts the other in posters and conversations, Circle said he has
20. been in talks with the opera house to see what kind of in-depth cross-
promotion they can do.
“Itʼs like taking a trip to a town and knowing that they only have that one
thing that we like to do over there, so thatʼs nice,” Circle said.
“But if you can ... create more things to do than a one-stop shop and leave, I
think that makes peopleʼs decision really easier for them to say that they
want to go to town.”
***
The power of the past
Maybe people crave the sense of identity embedded in history. Or maybe
theyʼre simply fascinated with the differences between the past and present.
Delphiʼs Wabash & Erie Canal has come to symbolize the power history
wields. The interpretive center, grounds and trails have become a
destination point, and it is enough of a part of Delphiʼs identity that its canal
boat is pictured on the city trademark.
Once an eyesore with stagnant water that smelled and provided a
comfortable home to mosquitoes and algae, the canal transformation
process began in the 1970s when an association formed, McCain said. The
spot includes a museum that explores the canalʼs story and impact on
Delphi; a multibuilding village that includes a contractorʼs home,
smokehouse and fur trapperʼs cabin; and a network of trails.
21. Buy Photo
The Delphi Opera House as seen from the Carroll County Courthouse
square Tuesday, October 25, 2016, in Delphi. (Photo: John
Terhune/Journal & Courier)
The canal has many similarities to the Delphi Opera House and Stellar
project. Devoted volunteers cleaned up the space and continue to run it. And
it took some proving — many people initially felt the improvements were a
waste of time, McCain said. Nonetheless, the associationʼs vision and
community membersʼ hard work helped change the tide.
“We lost major industries and ... it did hurt because that was the lifeblood of
the community for a while,” McCain said.
“The north end of Delphi was kind of a down area ... and then the canal
could show and illustrate, ‘Hey, you know what? This is not such a bad-
looking area after all. Thereʼs lots of things we might be able to do to spruce
this up.ʼ”
22. While the history magnet reaches far and wide, its manifestation in theaters
is especially present with the younger crowd. Community leaders say they
would like to draw this population segment to Delphi.
“I know when I came back from college and saw what theyʼve done with the
facades ... I didnʼt realize how beautiful some of these buildings were, just
the architectural style of them, until the facades had been worked on,” Evans
said.
Stein said staying true to a historic space is a marketing advantage and
galvanizes fundraising help for the inevitable repairs old venues require.
Mustering funds is difficult, he said, but community investment — once won
— sticks. Staying on top of repairs and rolling out superior programming are
the two biggest future challenges for theaters like the opera house, Stein
said.
“(People and especially the younger generation) love an authentic
experience, and a small vintage theater is much more attractive to the young
community than a brand new performing arts center because of the intimacy
and the history that the younger generation actually considers to be part of
the show experience,” Stein said.
Certainly that helped Brosman book Daniels. His agent responded to her
cold call, she said, largely because the actor and musician admires historical
spaces.
“Places like Delphi need you to come in and celebrate opera houses like
that. ... Thatʼs the entertainment history of this country, places like that,”
Daniels told the J&C before his 2015 show at the opera house.
Those heavily involved maintain the excitement that has driven them all
along.
“The very first time I was up on the stage, just sort of the hair on the back of
23. your neck, you know, kind of stands up and you sort of sense what it must
have been like playing from that stage to audiences, ladies in hoop skirts and
gents in their ... suits or vests, their top hats tucked under their chairs,”
Werling said.
“Now when you stand on that stage and you look out, itʼs the same type of
experience, only you know there are real people out there. Itʼs just an
amazing room, and to see it alive again is just kind of overwhelming
sometimes.”
By the numbers
According to the Delphi Opera House, the venue:
• Sold 30 to 40 percent of its tickets to Lafayette and West Lafayette
residents.
• Has 30 to 45 percent of its patrons coming from outside Delphi.
• Broke even or made money on all shows except for the Metropolis Quartet
during its first season.
• Sells 44 percent of tickets online.
Upcoming events
At the Delphi Opera House, 109 S. Washington St. in Delphi
Tickets available at delphioperahouse.org.
• “Frankenstein” Radio Play with Lafayette Civic Theatre: 7p30 p.m. Monday.
$10-$25.
• Singer Karli Edging: 7p30 p.m. Nov. 4. $15-$35.
• Songs My Mother Sang: Glory-June Greiff with a Veterans Day tribute. 3
