Theatre restoration reaches as far away as Lima Peru

posted by philbertgray on August 13, 2008 at 6:49 am

LIMA – PERU

The theater was built in 1915 according to the design of Dr. Manuel Maria Forero Ososio. In 1929 the theatre was renamed The Teatro Municipal de Lima. It remained in operation until heavily damaged by fire in 1998.

Reconstruction of the famous theater began this week a complete cleaning of the interior. The cleaning will be followed by casting molds to reproduce replicas of some of the interior’s damaged structures. Interior restoration will include rebuilding the scenic box seats, installing fire curtains, lighting, lampposts and the addition of 1811 new seats.

Restoration to its original state is expected to take approximately 18 months and cost approximately $10 million. The restoration will duplicate the Italian Renaissance style in the courtroom of spectators along with the style of Louis XVI in other portions of the theatre. The large marble stairs and exterior facade will be in the original Baroque style. Along with the restoration the most advanced theatre technology will be installed.

The project is being financed with funds from the municipal heritage, mainly through revenues generated by the city’s Circuit Magical Water park which attracts hundreds of visitors daily.

An article on the restoration can be found at http://www.livinginperu.com/news/7122 along with a picture of the current state of the auditorium.

Additional photos of the original theatre and its current state can be found at http://www.larepublica.com.pe/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=237040&Itemid=0 and http://liricaperu.blogspot.com/2007/08/el-teatro-municipal-de-limatan-solo-un.ht