Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Staff writer
Once a performance space and a site for the silver screen, the 94-year-old Lyceum Theatre is at the center of an open call — not for actors, but for mementos, donations and volunteers.
Despite its history and significance — the Lyceum once welcomed the likes of Gene Autry, Will Rogers and John Philip Sousa and his band — there is little documentation of the theater’s past, said Lisa Pellegrino-Spear, Clovis MainStreet executive director.
“Unfortunately, many of the original and previous details of the Lyceum have been changed and covered by many renovation projects,” Pellegrino-Spear said in an email statement. “We would love to receive pictures and stories from those who have information of the history of the Lyceum.”
Once a vaudeville theater and cinema, the Mission-style building at 411 Main St. has gone through many renovations over the years, Pellegrino-Spear said.
link Staff photo: Joshua Lucero
Clovis MainStreet began its first phase of renovations on the 94-year-old Lyceum Theater this June. Renovations include cleanup, window repairs, interior painting, and added lighting.
Currently, the city owns the Lyceum and Clovis MainStreet has taken on the project management of the theater, according to City Manager Joe Thomas. Since Clovis MainStreet is dependent on grants and donations, renovation of the Lyceum will be done in phases, Pellegrino-Spear said.
Renovations will also be done in a very precise way. With the Lyceum being on the National Register of Historic Places, all renovations must be done under State Historic Preservation guidelines and must be done “so as to capture the original character of the building,” Pellegrino-Spear said.
In June, Clovis MainStreet began its first phase of theater renovations, estimated to cost $164,000, Pellegrino-Spear said. This will be grant-funded, she said, and the grant has been approved. Renovations include cleanup, electrical and plumbing repairs, window repairs, painting the interior of the auditorium, updating the restrooms and adding lighting; both safety lighting and stage lighting.
Subsequent renovation phases will include a mechanical curtain system, a digital projection system, acoustical sound boards, marquee restoration, flooring, concession and green room space, and repairs for offices and balcony seating.
Most of the work is being done by contractor High Plains Builders, Pellegrino-Spear said, but Clovis MainStreet could not function without its volunteers.
“We are always looking for help from those in the community that have a passion for downtown,” she said.
Built in 1919-20 by Eugene F. Hardwick, the Lyceum was designed by the Boller Brothers architectural firm.
The Boller Brothers, based in Kansas City, Missouri, designed more than one hundred theaters across the Midwest and Southwest, including Albuquerque’s KiMo Theater and the Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe.
The KiMo and the Lyceum are on the National Register of Historic Places. The Lensic is recognized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as a project of Save America’s Treasures.
How to help
To donate, volunteer, or submit mementos of the Lyceum Theatre, contact [email protected], send mail to Clovis MainStreet, PO Box 804, Clovis, NM, 88101; or call (575) 309-8370.
