Don Shrubshell photo

The Missouri Theatre’s chandelier nearly touches the blue atmospheric dome as work continues on the $10 million restoration project. For more photos and information, go online at www.motheatre.org. •  See the Slide Show

Once you’re inside the Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts, it’s tough to remember what the old place looked like. So much has changed.

Even the outside of the historic building at the corner of Ninth and Locust streets has undergone such a radical reconstruction that there is little left of the facade to which passers-by have grown accustomed.

Gone are the old marquee, the ratty red chairs and the cramped lobby where visitors once stood elbow to elbow on opening night. Peeling paint has been stripped away, walls removed and carpet pulled up.

There is no sign of the troubles that once plagued the 80-year-old theater. The building has been gutted except for its most treasured amenities, leaving behind the framework for a community masterpiece.

"We’re making history right now," said Kanani May, public relations director for MTCA. "Just to have a little hand in it is an honor."

The 1928 theater is set to open this spring after a 10-month renovation costing about $10 million. The historic landmark will be home to the Missouri Symphony Society and the Columbia Art League and will serve as a venue for other not-for-profit groups, such as the Missouri Contemporary Ballet.

David White, executive director of MTCA, said supporters have raised more than $8.5 million for the project, which also won $500,000 in federal funds earlier this year.

"We’re on the downhill slope, but everyone has to pull together and continue pledging," he said.

May said most of the detail work on the inside of the theater has been completed. Crown molding and intricate woodwork have been returned to their original colors, which include reds, burnished gold, silver and jewel tones. The restored proscenium over the stage gives the theater a regal appearance.

Workers have spent months painstakingly applying silver leaf by hand to the woodwork. May said the tiny pieces of foil give depth to the wood’s detail work, drawing attention to the artwork.

"There are details I never noticed before," she said.

Besides the changes the public will see such as the new box office, Bravo Bistro, expanded restrooms, an art league gallery and history lounge, the changes behind the scenes will make the theater a state-of-the-art facility, White said.

There will be modern dressing rooms, better stage lighting and a new sound booth, not to mention an expanded green room, set shop and an ADA-accessible dressing room. All the wood rigging backstage has been replaced with steel.

"If your jaw is dropping now," May said, "just wait until this is finished. It’s going to be stunning."

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