YOUNGSTOWN Take a seat: Stambaugh conducts a drive for reupholstering

Seats will be refurbished and reinstalled in time for a September dedication.
By CYNTHIA VINARSKY
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The walls and ceiling are done, new carpet is in and the draperies are ordered. Now it's time to do something about those well-worn Santa-red upholstered chairs.
Planners heading up an ambitious restoration of the historic Henry H. Stambaugh Auditorium are hoping for a sellout in what they're calling the "Best Seat In The House" campaign, a plan to give the hall's 2,135 upholstered chairs a new look.
Donors who contribute $175 per chair can have their name or that of a loved one engraved on a brass plate to be installed on the chair back as a gift or memorial. Donations to the chair-endowment project are tax-deductible.
Funds will pay for new, royal blue upholstery and fresh stuffing for the seats, now covered with a well-worn bright red velvet fabric.
"We're basically out of money, and we thought this would be a great way to get more people involved," said Jeanne Simeone, a member of the committee heading up the interior restoration of the Fifth Avenue landmark. Other members are Bill Conti, Sarah Strouss and Kathy Scheel.
Work thus far
Workers began the auditorium face-lift about a year ago, cleaning and painting the walls and the elaborate decorative ceiling, installing new, royal blue carpeting with a red and gold medallion pattern, and cleaning the columns and stonework.
A $200,000 Ohio Arts Council grant from the state of Ohio helped, but the rest of the $341,000 first phase is being paid for with private contributions.
Bill Conti said the chair project will cost an additional $373,625. "It sounds like a lot of money when you multiply $175 by the number of chairs," he said, "but one chair at a time, it's affordable."
Baker Road Seating and Restoration has the contract to remove the chairs from the main auditorium floor and balcony in mid-June, transport them and refurbish them at its plant in Belding, Mich. The auditorium will be unavailable from that time until they are reinstalled, probably sometime in August.
New draperies also will be installed, the final step in the auditorium face-lift. All wooden chairs in the upper balcony are not a part of the project.
Simeone said committee members started the chair campaign Nov. 4, but they're stepping up publicity this month to offer the opportunity to Christmas shoppers looking for a unique gift idea.
Unveiling in September
Plans are to unveil the renovated auditorium, including the refurbished seats, at a rededication program Sept. 17 featuring a pops concert by the Youngstown Symphony. The symphony, now housed at Edward W. Powers Auditorium, originally called Stambaugh Auditorium its home.
Built in 1926, the auditorium was a gift to the community from businessman and philanthropist Henry H. Stambaugh. Conti said the original seats and carpet were replaced as part of a renovation project in 1968, and a $500,000 state grant paid for heating, lighting and sound equipment improvements three years ago.
Photographs of the auditorium renovation to date are posed on its Web site, www.stambaughauditorium.com. For more details on how to endow a chair or to otherwise contribute to the restoration project contact Simeone, (330) 533-5225, or Conti at (330)782-1985, or check the Web site.
vinarsky@vindy.com