This page contains some more pictures of the embellishments at the Empire after they have been restored by Restoration Associates and Battersby Ornamental. There are several of these pages, and other pages with construction and pre restoration photos. There is a link near the bottom of this page to the Restoration Associates website.

The photographs above were taken as the scaffold was being removed just prior to opening day (4/2/98). The lower shot is a detail that is a closer representation of the actual color. This ornamentation is all original from 1914 with the exception of the paint and some minor detailing to the plaster by Battersby Ornmntl. The two maidens appear almost lifelike after being done over by Cisi and Pam. They are situated in the proscenium arch directly above center stage, thirty eight feet above the floor. At some point the maiden's upper bodies were "clothed" by dipping burlap in wet plaster and draping it to appear as a sort of gown. I "discovered" the alteration from the original, and, after much debate by the Las Casas board and all involved, it was decided to undress the maidens. I then removed the rest of the sackcloth, refined the original plaster, and they were back in all their glory, just as they were at their time of birth in 1914.

The photo above shows the finished decoration by Restoration Associates. These rossettes appear on both balcony faces. All but four of 160 original rosettes were reproduced and reinstalled by Battersby Ornamental. The two balcony faces totaled 160 lineal feet.

The photo above shows the finished decoration by Restoration Associates. This is one of two square capitals that were reproduced and installed by Battersby Ornamental. These caps appear on the orchestra floor level near the rear of the theatre. They were copied from existing capitals on the first balcony, and replaced at this time, as the originals had been removed at some time in the past.