After 101 years, this Michigan opera house is getting a second chance at life

The global market for the restoration of historic buildings is valued at more than $120 billion. And the U.S. has some historic buildings out there, many of which are just waiting for the right person to come along and give them a second life.

Among those buildings is the Howell Opera House in Howell, Michigan. Built in 1881, the opera house has been out of use since 1924 when it was deemed too much of a fire safety risk to remain in operation. Now though, with a grant from the state and some investors at the ready, the opera house is on its way back to being a public space.

Leading this effort is Dana Wnuk. She was hired this year as executive director of the Livingston Arts Council, which owns the opera house.

Making the Howell Opera House a community space again won’t be easy though. The theater space lacks some essentials like central heating and a fire suppression system. Plus, even with a budget of $2.5 million for the initial renovations, Wnuk acknowledges that the work might never be fully done.

“Getting it to a spot where it can maintain itself and bring in really cool things for the community and the surrounding neighbors, that's my goal,” Wnuk said.

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