So far, so good

It was June 10. We were horrified when it happened, just a stone's throw from our building at Jackson and Market streets. There was a giant boom — a really, really big boom — and a few moments later, someone in the newsroom said, "Look out there. Look what happened to the State Theatre." The roof was collapsing. The walls were crumbling down. It was shocking. As quickly as it happened the skies cleared and the sun shined again, and hundreds of people came downtown. They came to see what happened in the heart of the business district, to see how bad the damage was to the old vaudeville theater that weathered the Great Depression and the Great Recession, towering above both to keep us here with a sense of belonging and permanence. The words reporters used to describe what happened seem fitting, succinct and to the point: a straight-line wind storm ripped off a portion of the roof and the walls on the theater's backside. That's near as much discussion as there was about the nasty storm. And in the audience along Water Street and the Jackson Street parking lot — which had a staying power of hours — words about its destruction were muffled by a whole lot of resolve in conversations about its resurrection. Crews completed necessary masonry work at the Sandusky State Theatre, as pictured here on Friday, Nov. 13, 2020. Register photo/ANDY OURIEL It's been a short five months, and that resolve could be seen last week, with construction crews finishing a critical first phase: shoring up the theater's west-side back wall after rebuilding the north- and south-facing walls. This week, they will begin installing steel beams to ensure stability and structural integrity. This has been an important first step, a physical representation of that resolve. And now comes Phase 2. What's next for the Sandusky State Theatre? Here's what we know: The building was insured. A final cost estimate, or damage estimate, has not yet been determined or made public, if there is an agreement. Here are some other open-ended questions the theater board and the community will ask and seek answers for in the weeks ahead: What additional work will be done? When it will commence? How much will it cost? How will that cost be paid? Will the theater be restored to be as it was before June 10, or will it be modified or changed in any way? Will it be enhanced or modernized? Can it be changed? Should it be changed? Please pardon us for asking so many questions. It comes with the job. That's the stuff we want to know, but what we know so far is that the theater board and the community both fully support preserving and protecting the Sandusky State Theatre. It's a warm feeling when agreement comes so easily. This successful first phase is a testament to that will. * Crews began lowering the Sandusky State Theatre's chandelier on Tuesday, July 21, 2020, so it could be stored during the construction process. Register photo/ERIN CALDWELL Brick-by-brick Theatre Fund: An ongoing fundraiser by the Erie County Community Foundation to raise money for repairs has, so far, generated about $70,000. People can visit eriefoundation.org/theatre-fund to make a donation.