Sterling Opera House

Up On The Rooftop
by Markanthony Izzo | Dec 8, 2010 7:53 am

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Photo: Markanthony Izzo

The American Flag in the foreground at the Derby Municipal Parking Garage gives an indication of the working conditions the crew in the background on the roof is up against.

The workers are installing a base that will support a cupola on the historic Sterling Opera House which was the first structure in Connecticut to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The cupola is tentatively scheduled to be in place by the end of next week.

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Spooky doings may get air time
Written by Susan Hunter
The Valley Gazette
Wednesday, 01 September 2010 13:40

The Sterling Opera House in Derby may be featured on a television show focusing on paranormal activity (Photo by Susan Hunter)
DERBY â€" Derby’s historic, and vacant, Sterling Opera House may be featured in an upcoming segment of the television show Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files, said Rich DiCarlo, president of the Derby Cultural Commission.

DiCarlo spoke at the Board of Aldermen meeting on Aug. 26, requesting the board’s approval to allow the production company to enter the Opera House.

Aldermen complied.

Their vote was necessary because the opera house is considered an abandoned building, DiCarlo said.

And, it may be haunted.

DiCarlo said he sat in on a preliminary paranormal investigation in the old structure when an investigator began communicating with the spirit of a little boy.

DiCarlo said he saw a rubber ball move along the floor and saw childlike handprints appear on a chair.

“We have evidence of the voice of a child on a digital sound recorder,” he said.

“All the findings are subject to interpretation,” he emphasized, but the production company has expressed interest in filming a show about possible paranormal activity at the opera house, pending a review of the evidence.

The building is “a big tape recorder,” he said, with quartz in its foundation and brick walls. People who have a sensitivity to the paranormal act as antennae.

And there may be more publicity.

A small segment is expected to be aired on Animal Planet’s The Haunted show, he said, focusing on sightings of two figures walking through the building that were caught on tape, and on spheres of light.

DiCarlo said the commission is looking into conducting “spooking sessions” at the local libraries at Halloween time.

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By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo, Naugatuck Valley Bureau Chief

DERBY â€" The city is going out to bid this week to find an architectural and engineering firm to design the interior of the Sterling Opera House.

Sheila Oâ€\Malley, executive director of the cityâ€\s Office of Economic and Community Development, said the city will give prospective bidders until Jan. 22 to submit a bid package.

“We are hoping to get some very competitive bid prices and cost estimates because of the current economic climate,” Oâ€\Malley said.

The city has raised about $190,000 through state and federal funds and grant money from private organizations to use toward funding the interior design work.

“We are hoping that weâ€\ll get the lionâ€\s share of the interior design done,” Oâ€\Malley said. “Weâ€\ll see how far the money takes us.”

City officials are working to transform the building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, into a regional performing arts center.

The city wants the successful bidder to have extensive experience in designing historic theater facilities.

Once the design work is completed, the city can apply for money to actually renovate the inside of the building, Oâ€\Malley said. She estimated it will cost about $10 million to renovate the interior into a new state of the art performance space.

According to Oâ€\Malley, the interior design work will take about six months, and then renovations will take another year and a half.

The city spent months doing exterior upgrades to the building, and it is now sealed off from the elements. A new main cupola is scheduled to be installed on top of the building in the spring.

Many of the old theater seats have been removed, and the new design will likely feature fewer seats, but larger ones, for increased comfort, Oâ€\Malley said.

“The acoustics are near-perfect, and we want to keep the integrity of the acoustics intact,” Oâ€\Malley said.

The successful bidder will need to consult with theater groups to determine what needs to be done inside the building, she said. Compliance with handicapped accessibility and fire codes must also be part of the plans.

“Since the building is on the National Register of Historic Places, the interior design also has to comply with historic regulations,” Oâ€\Malley said. “Theyâ€\ll have to make it historic, but functional. Weâ€\ll need modern technology to accommodate modern theater and community groups.”

The opera house was used as a theater until 1945 and housed city offices and a police station until 1965, then for years was left vacant and deteriorating.

Mayor Anthony Staffieri stressed that no city funding is being used for the interior design work, as the city was able to secure private grants and state and federal funding.

“This will start the process of it being designed for the use we want,” Staffieri said. “The design will eliminate the old city hall and police station offices. A theater will need wardrobe space and dressing rooms. This design will map out how the inside will look. This is another pivotal moment for the opera house.”

Michelle Tuccitto Sullo can be reached at or at 789-5707.

Halloween art exhibit unveils Sterling Opera House ‘ghostâ€\
Saturday, October 31, 2009

By Patricia Villers, Register Staff

DERBY â€" Valley Arts Council President Rich DiCarlo said Halloween is an ideal time to showcase spooky art and hunt for ghosts in what some say is a haunted building.

He is more than happy to show off a photo of “ghost-like figures” that he snapped inside the historic Sterling Opera House, the long-vacant 19th century building on Elizabeth Street.

DiCarlo, who also serves as chairman of the cityâ€\s Cultural Commission, took the photo in 2007, but thought he lost it when his comptuer crashed. He discovered that since he had e-mailed the photo, it was still stored on a server and he was able to retrieve it.

The photo depicts a shadowy figure of what looks like a woman wearing a Victorian-era dress, standing in the theater balcony. Next to “her” is a smaller figure that could be a person seated behind a balcony railing.

DiCarlo said the photo may be two years old, but “we figured what better day to announce the discovery than on Halloween.”

The photo is in a glass case in the arts councilâ€\s GalleryFox Performing Arts Center, a small gallery at 37 Elizabeth St. filled with various kinds of artwork produced by council members.

The Halloween-themed exhibit will be up for a week, DiCarlo said.

In August, paranormal expert Richard Felix of Derby, England, former host of Britainâ€\s “Most Haunted” television show, arrived as part of a trip he is making to visit all of the Derbys in the world.

DiCarlo said he was with Mayor Anthony Staffieri when Staffieri gave Felix a tour of the opera house. A photo was taken in a dressing room, and the photo shows what looks like a woman wearing a Victorian-style dress similar to what is in his 2007 photo.

DiCarlo said as far as he can determine, the opera house was never the scene of anything tragic. One theory is the shadowy female figure is the widow of Charles Sterling, after whom the opera house is named. Sterling died before the building was completed. DiCarlo said “sheâ€\s the common denominator” connected to the building and may be watching over it.

DiCarlo said a popular paranormal investigation TV show has expressed an interest in visiting Derby to shoot an episode.

“I have my evidence, and people can read into it what they want,” DiCarlo said.

Patricia Villers can be reached at

Sterling Opera House awaits new cupola
Written by Susan Hunter
Thursday, 17 September 2009 13:06

Derby Mayor Tony Staffieri admires the newly fabricated dome and cupola that will be installed atop the Sterling Opera House.(Submitted photo)
DERBY â€" A newly fabricated main cupola for the Sterling Opera House was delivered Thursday to a storage facility in Beacon Falls.

The cupola will be installed on the opera house roof once funding is in place to build a cupola foundation, said Derby Economic Development Director Sheila O’Malley. Its installation will mark the completion of exterior renovation work on the building.

State funding paid for fabrication of the cupola, which cost $70,000, O’Malley said.

Derby Mayor Tony Staffieri said he’s pleased with the work Campbellsville Industries has done on the cupola for the 120-year-old opera house. The Kentucky-based company has replicated the cupola to look like the original one, and has made it out of weather-resistant materials. The dome is made of copper sheathing.

“Hopefully, the cupola will last for 100 or 200 years,” he said. “It’s going to be a beacon to the whole Valley.”

City officials are working to secure funding for the interior renovation of the opera house. So far, they’ve received $150,000 from U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro’s office, $22,500 from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation and $7,000 from the Katherine Matthies Foundation.

O’Malley has applied for $10 million in federal stimulus funds, Staffieri said, or a donation from a wealthy benefactor would be appreciated.

The next objective is to create a refurbished meeting room in the building’s interior, where the former aldermanic chambers were located from 1945 to 1965.

After its heyday as a theater, the opera house served as City Hall, but for the past 44 years has stood vacant opposite the city Green.

A new center cupola was installed on the Opera House in April 2008.

Update…Final piece arrives for opera house renovation
By Kate Ramunni
STAFF WRITER
Updated: 09/14/2009 12:37:56 AM EDT

DERBY — The finishing piece to the Sterling Opera House exterior makeover has arrived.

On Thursday, the 2,500-pound cupola that will sit atop the Elizabeth Street building was delivered to a warehouse in Beacon Falls, where it will be stored until its installation next spring.

“You wouldn’t believe how beautiful it is,” Mayor Anthony Staffieri said. “It takes your breath away.”

The cupola will join a smaller one that was installed earlier this year. It also will complete the $2 million overhaul of the historic building’s exterior that has been ongoing for the past two years, Economic Development Director Sheila O'Malley said.

“That is the last piece,” she added.

It was delivered Thursday in two pieces “because it is so large,” she said. The cupola itself is about 12 feet high and will sit on an 11-foot base, she said.

“The dome is absolutely beautiful,” she said. It will remain in the donated warehouse space in Beacon Falls until its installation, she said.

“We have to put the foundation in first,” she said. Bids for that work which went out earlier this year came in quite high, she said, so it will go out to bid once again before the city decides on a company for the job.

“Hopefully, we can get some reasonable prices,” she said. “We got some high bids the first time.”

Next up will be the interior of the opera house, both Staffieri and O'Malley said. The space in the lower level beneath the actual theater area
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that was once used as the aldermanic chambers will be the first area of work, they said.

“Hopefull,y we will have the money to create a meeting room,” Staffieri said.

The city has amassed about $200,000 in grant mone, a mix of federal funds procured by Rep. Rosa DeLauro and smaller awards from organizations such as the Katherine Matthias Foundation, the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation and the Valley Community Foundation, which will go toward design work.

“We will still need more funding” to complete the interior of the building, which is basically a shell, O'Malley said.

The ultimate goal is to get the theater renovated and functional, Staffieri said.

“I’ve been dreaming about that for 35 years,” he said. For years he has vacationed in Skowhegan, Maine, where there is a building very similar to the opera house, he said.

“They have city hall offices, a police substation, a fire substation and a theater [in the building],” he said, “and they have kept it in great shape and are being used in every part of it.

“I can’t believe how beautiful it is,” he said.

A survey done of the area regarding cultural venues shows that there is a need for small- to medium-size theaters, O'Malley said.

“They pointed out that this could be a cultural and arts venue,” she said. “We are going to work along towards these goals of creating a stage theater and cultural center.”

Community room planned at Derby opera house
By Melvin Mason
STAFF WRITER
Updated: 05/04/2009 01:18:08 AM EDT

The Sterling Opera House at 106 Elizabeth St. in Derby.

DERBY — Signs of age are everywhere inside the Sterling Opera House on Elizabeth Street.
The paint is peeled off the walls and there’s that distinct old smell inside the building, which lets you know it hasn’t been used in a very long time.

Call it the scent of age.

Names of those who have visited over the years are scribbled on the walls and there’s a good amount of dust gathered on the 1,100 seats in the former theater.

But where some may see a cause lost to time, Mayor Anthony Staffieri and other city officials see a chance to give Derby some culture as well as to restore the building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

“It’s recording our history and keeping our history,” Staffieri said recently while touring the building, across from the Derby green.
Despite tough economic times, the city wants to get the Sterling Opera House open for business, even if it may have to be done piece by piece. The latest proposal is to restore a 3,000-square-foot room once used as the city’s aldermanic chambers for community events such as art exhibits and meetings.

Rich DiCarlo, director of the Valley Arts Council, is one of those backing the plan.

“People see it being used and it could spark some interest in the building. If people are using it and it’s not sitting there as a white elephant, interest will grow and spread,” he said.
“It takes one spark to light a fire,” added Sheila O'Malley, the city’s economic development director. She said the city will use a $25,000 matching grant from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation and an expected $30,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven to pay for a design scope. The room restoration will cost more than $1 million, she said.
“We think once people get the opportunity to come in, they will look at the renovated room and envision what [the rest of the opera house] will be like,” she said. “It will be easier to visualize. It gives fundraisers a place to lay their hat on.”

The room restoration comes on the heels of the city spending $1 million in grant money to seal the building from the elements and birds that used to make their way inside. That project included renovating the exterior walls, installing windows and refurbishing two cupolas.

A full-scale renovation is expected to cost at least $10 million, including revamping the theater and replacing the existing seating with 700 to 900 new seats.

Over the years there have been several plans to reopen the building, but they all fell through.

Most recently, the city had a deal with the Ellington Group to renovate and reopen the opera house. The company gave the city a $10,000 deposit to start a $13 million renovation. However, the company missed several deadlines and Ellington’s principals were involved in legal wrangling for control of the company.
The city is focusing on redeveloping the interior of the Sterling through grants, although it still hopes to find a private benefactor to help finance it. Continuing to make progress on the revamp, the mayor said, will be key in getting more money down the road, he said.
“The state and the federal government want to see that you get their money and you do something with it,” Staffieri said. “This is why it’s important to keep going at this kind of pace.”

Staffieri said history and economic development are why remaking the Sterling makes sense. Staffieri talks about other cities and towns seeing revitalized downtowns with restored halls or theaters, including Waterbury and its Palace Theater.

“Small cities that are fortunate enough to have theaters and keep them in good operating condition, it generates tax dollars for them,” Staffieri said. “It’s culture,” the mayor added. “It’s people enjoying themselves, taking a time out once a week or once a month to treat themselves to a play, to a concert, to something that relaxes them. And it’s great for society.”

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Scaffolding to surround Sterling Opera House
KATE RAMUNNI CT Post
Article Last Updated: 06/26/2008 11:50:06 PM EDT

DERBY â€" Scaffolding will soon encompass the three walls of the Sterling Opera House as work begins on the outside of the historic building.
Kronenberg and Sons is doing the work on the Elizabeth Street building and plans to start within the next few weeks, Mayor Anthony Staffieri told the Board of Aldermen Thursday. The $825,000 project will sandblast the exterior, fix loose bricks, structurally strengthen the three outside walls and replace windows and doors in the building that is on the National Register of Historic Places. “They went today for the building permit and are ready to put the scaffolding up,” Staffieri said.
To accommodate the work, the board approved the closing of the old Fourth Street, an alley that runs alongside the building. The contractor also is working to accommodate the state Superior Court on the right of the building, and the owner of the former SNET building on the left that is also under construction.
“We want to make sure there is access to the courthouse,” he said.
The work will take four to six months to complete, Staffieri said, “hopefully sooner than that.” However long it takes, the scaffolding will have to remain in place, he said.
Several months ago, the building’s small cupola was replaced, and its main cupola will, too, if funds allow, Staffieri said.
“It’s an old structure, and with work like this sometimes you will come across something that was not bid on [for the project],” he said. “If [the scope of the work] doesn’t change, then we should have enough money left over for the main cupola.”
“We would like to have the money to do the main cupola,” Economic Development Director Sheila O'Malley said, but if not, she will work on finding other grant money for that.
Years ago, the state awarded the grant money to the city for the opera house, but work hasn’t been set until now.
Alderwoman Bev Moran questioned why it appears that there are open windows at the top of the building. “It certainly looks like they are,” she said.
Building Inspector Dave Kopjanski said he will make sure the windows are closed. “We don’t want any more pigeons,” he said, referring to past problems at the opera house with pigeons living in the empty structure and filling it up with their droppings.

The New Haven Register
Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Posted on Sat, May 24, 2008

1 company submits bid on Sterling Opera House
By Marianne Lippard , Register Correspondent

DERBY â€" Only one company submitted a bid to lease the Sterling Opera House, but city officials are optimistic that plans for the building can be realized.

A bid prepared by the Ellington Group LLC said the company is prepared to spend up to $13 million to renovate the 119-year-old structure. Mayor Anthony Staffieri said the Sterling would be used for digital media and live theater.

“Our lovely lady is going to be resurrected. We’re going to put a new dress on her,” Staffieri said.

The Board of Aldermen recently voted to go out to bid to lease the building. Bidders had to agree to complete the interior and exterior restoration and provide proof of financial ability to finish the work.

Staffieri said the Ellington Group has interesting plans for the building and appears to have the funds to complete the project.

“They see our opera house as an important element to their overall plan,” Staffieri said. “To me it feels like I’m in a dream until I see the work. I just hope things keep going according to the plan outlined for me.”

Ellington Group is seeking a 99-year lease. The theater, which previously had 1,200 seats, would have 900 seats after the renovation.

Staffieri said that once the theater is renovated, it would draw more businesses to Derby. He noted that the theater would help not only Derby, but also neighboring cities like Ansonia and Shelton.

Last month, a new cupola was put on the opera house. The cupola project cost about $50,000, funded by grant money. The city also has state and federal funds for other upgrades, such as securing the building’s exterior walls.

Aldermanic President Kenneth Hughes said that the aldermen didn’t know whether to expect any bids on such a large and complicated project. The Sterling, built in 1889, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was used as a theater until 1945, then housed city offices and a police station. It has been vacant for years.

Hughes said details of the deal will be outlined in a lease agreement. Ellington Group would need to set time lines for the construction and meet historical standards during the renovations.

“It’s pretty exciting stuff. The opera house has been vacant for a long time,” Hughes said.

The Sterling Opera House in Derby is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. I.M. Hoyt was the Mgr. The seating capacity was given as 1,470, and the theatre was on the second floor. It had gas illumination. The proscenium opening was 30 feet square, and the stage was 34 feet deep. There were 6 members of the house orchestra. Local newspapers were the Transcript and the Sentinel. Local hotels were Hoffmann, Bassett, Sterling, Birmingham, Columbia and Holinas. Railroad was the New Haven. The greater Derby area had a population of 28,000.

Renovations thus far are minor and are to protect the building against weather damage. A complete renovation is currently in the works.