What have these walls seen and heard? They were there the first time a little boy saw Star Wars. They were there for the fright of the Exorcist. They were there for 2001 Space Odyssey and even saw the first half played backward, but the audience was so confused they didn’t know. They were there for E.T. They brought the imagination of Walt Disney to West Texas.
There is something magical about the Wallace Theater auditorium. A few of my favorite Wallace moments include watching elementary school students step inside for the first time, the wonder and awe in their eyes as they looked up at the mural of the scrolling leaves on the ceiling.
Specifically, I remember the first time we were able to host a movie event for kindergarten students from Levelland ABC. The cutest little girl with a big pink puffy jacket had popcorn in one hand and her soda with a bendy straw in the other. She measured each step carefully so as not to spill the popcorn as she walked down the long aisle, but then she stopped and looked up and with a big gasp said, “Wwooowww!” It was something special when we got to start showing movies in the auditorium once again.
The Wallace is a special place, unlike anything else many have experienced in West Texas. The giant murals on the ceiling and the walls give a sense of inspiration and a connection to our history. My dad, George Keeling, remembered spending Saturday mornings watching cartoons underneath the “Giant Seaweed” as he referred to it. I can just imagine the cutest 8-year-old boy sitting there with a big bucket of popcorn and wonder in his eyes as he watched the movies.
Restoring the historic murals inside the auditorium is a key component of our renovation process. The murals span X amount of feet along each wall and run X amount of feet along the ceiling. It is a huge project and will need to be completed in a tight timeframe to meet our goal of completing renovations in December of 2024. As members of the League of Historic American Theatres, we were introduced to EverGreene Architectural Arts. They are the leaders in historic restoration and conservation projects around the country and the world. So many of the historic theatre renovation projects that have inspired us have been projects of Evergreene.
“We began preserving historic theaters and performing arts venues over 40 years ago, and our passion continues to this day. Theaters sustain cultural health and artistic growth in our communities, enriching lives and transcending imagination. The restoration of historic theaters often contributes to the ability to revitalize entire neighborhoods or communities. We provide a broad range of specialty restoration and historic preservation services, ranging from the restoration of intricately painted fire curtains to the design of custom murals for modern performance spaces. Our experience includes elaborate atmospheric theaters, small community performance spaces, and countless adaptive reuse projects. We proudly invite you to browse our extensive portfolio.” - EverGreene Architectural Arts
Years of water damage and other environmental issues made the original murals irreparable. We knew we would have to completely recreate them. To start the process we worked with Lanmar Services to do a laser scan of the theatre to capture the exact size and placement of the murals and create a digital rendering. We then brought on local photographer, Ashley Saed, to take photographs to be used for color matching. We also saved a few pieces of the original paint and plaster for this process as well.
We shared this information with the incredible team at EverGreene. They reviewed the materials and found the matches for the historic colors in the mural included Parakeet, Lily, Edgy Gold, Iced Mocha, Blonde, and Roycroft Rose. (I can’t help but wonder if Roycroft Rose was chosen for the walls in honor of Wallace’s son Royce and his wife Rose.)
Earlier this month I had the opportunity to visit the offices of EverGreene Architectural Arts in Brooklyn, New York. I met with the team, reviewed their designs and discussed ways that we could enhance the murals while still preserving the history and original design. We reviewed the paint colors, they asked about intricate details of the borders and showed the work they had done to develop the full mural where we didn’t have original pieces.
It is amazing what these artists can do and how technology is recreating this art that has been part of our community for over 70 years. The team is getting to work. Our current renovation timeline has EverGreene scheduled to visit in September. They will ship the murals for the walls developed in their studios on large canvases. Our construction team will have scaffolding spanning the auditorium where the canvases will be hung and then their team will hand-paint the murals on the ceiling.
When I think about those murals, I wonder what have they seen and heard. So many moments of joy, entertainment, and thrills and a few tears along the way. Today our walls are covered in signatures of our community with hopes, dreams, and well wishes for the future of the Wallace. In years to come they will hold the memories of all who step through the doors and the unforgettable experiences we’ll share together. -Alycyn Keeling