The day seemed ruined when the temperature plummeted down to 20 degrees, with the streets and sidewalks covered with snow and ice.
But on Jan. 15, many loyal Buffalonians fought through the arctic landscape to enter the historic Shea's Performing Arts Center for its 86th anniversary celebration. The theater still blossomed in its original constructed location – a stupendous achievement for any foundation, regardless of its purpose.
The spectators were treated to a screening of The Black Pirate, which was released in 1926, the same year Shea's was built. Nostalgia was in the air.
The film was a part of Shea's Free Family Film Series, a monthly tradition to remind people of the building's historic importance. Families piled into Shea's for the free movie, purchased cheap concessions, and gracefully spent bonding time together while admiring the atmosphere and shielding their wallets from harsh prices.
Shea's has seen its fair share of hard times, especially during Buffalo's economic decline during the 1960s and '70s. A suggestion was brought forth to tear down Shea's and resurrect it as a parking lot, but a small group of people known as the "Friends of Buffalo" banded together in a fight to prove the importance of Shea's. These courageous citizens won their battle, adding Shea's to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and financing an expansion near the end of the decade.
Lisa Grisanti, a decade-long veteran Marketing Director at Shea's, shares the passion for the theater's prospering success. She promoted the Shea's Restoration Program to the crowd – the current plan to refurbish Shea's to maintain the building's original theatric décor.
"It's a beautiful historic building," Grisanti said. "Knowing that so many people have an experience at Shea's, and trying to restore [the theatre] for the future generation, that excites me to work every day."
When constructed, Shea's served as a silent movie house for those who wished to escape the demoralizing living conditions during the Great Depression. The theater was the hottest ticket in town, especially without many other forms of readily affordable entertainment.
The Restoration Program consists of part-time and volunteer workers who spend their weekdays refurbishing the establishment. The staff supply services anywhere from stenciling the wallpaper to repainting the walls in hopes of maintaining the look and feel of the original Shea's Buffalo.
At the top of the program's ladder is the Restoration Manager Doris Collins, a native of Erie, Penn. Collins moved to Buffalo after the passing of her husband, and now serves as the guardian to the sanctity of Shea's.
"I keep everything exactly the same, and I mean exactly," Collins said. "For instance, we could've gotten four or five different patterns for this carpet right here, but we didn't."
To some people, the preciseness of a pattern can slide, but that's not the case for Collins and her compassionate attachment to the aged structure.
"Experience to volunteer [for the Restoration Program] is definitely not necessary," Collins said. "Actually, I almost prefer less experience. Some people are experienced and taught in a certain way; well they aren't taught in my way. I'm always looking for people."
As the surrounding population restores Shea's, the building remains prominent in unending glory. Fans of historic flicks and Queen City staples can check out the theatre first-hand during any of the venue's upcoming shows in its Family Film series with The NeverEnding Story on Feb. 12.
Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
