How lucky am I! Not many people have seen the interior of the Victory in almost 30 years.
The outside of the Victory looks to be in pretty good condition, but how bad is it inside?
One ticket please!
There is no electricity in the Victory, so I brought a pair of 3 million candlepower spotlights.
The spotlights were woefully inadequate for photography, partly because the Victory is so large, and partly because all the surfaces were absorbing the light.
From this picture you can see how far the flash from my camera can capture.
The stage looks to be the area most in need of repair. The roof had been leaking at one point, and was patched. With all the heavy rain we had recently there were some new damp spots. If the Victory is going to be saved the roof will need to be looked at again soon.
To the left of the stage is there was a small fire several years ago.During the MIFA open house on June 20th Executive Director, Donald Sanders, quoted $25 million to renovate the Victory. Turns out that was a rough estimate based upon the cost of recent renovations of theaters in Pittsfield, and Worcester.
Up the marble stairs to the mezzanine.
This magnificent oval room at the top of the stairs leads off in several directions to the first and second mezzanine.
Much of the wood work still looks great.
How many young Holyoke couples climbed these steps to the second mezzanine for a smooching session?
No smoochers today.
In some areas the Victory is in great shape under the dust.
In other areas the plaster is crumbling to the floor.
I didn't realize I was kicking up so much dust until I looked at my photos.
Up in the projector room they have all the equipment you need to show a classics era film.
Carbons for arc lighting.
This movie was obviously a flop.
Heading back down.
I quickly checked out the basement before I left.
But my spotlight was in need of a recharge, so I didn't venture far.entire photo set here.
After my tour I had a very long talk with Don Sanders about the outrageous cost of renovating the Victory, and where does he think $25 million is going to come from!
Well, he did most of the talking, and Don is actually a really nice guy who knows the theater business, and how to put on great shows. He also has been working hard in the background lining up the State and Federal agencies with the money to make this happen. He really does have all his ducks in a row.
The commitment needed from the community to renovate the Victory is about $1.5 million. That would get the $25 million out of the government agencies.
hmm... This could really happen.
12 comments:
Thanks, so much for the photos. This GEM deserves a new life.
The city has SOOOOO much upside potential especially after years of neglect and spineless leadership.
Now to get rid of the third-world, socialist farm(s). The future can't be built on "stone knives and bearskins".
Thank you for these incredible photos, these bring back a lot of memories, i remember seeing "Emil & The Detectives" about 10 times back in '64, i also remember four years later seeing the controversial
european show "Helga" there along with a lot of the International Artists pictures including Jack Nicholson's "Psych Out" which i still watch on DVD till this very day. I also remember the old Pizzitola Music studios which Robert Ezold ran in the late to early seventies, he was quite a guy, i use to do a lot of wheeling and dealing guitars and amplifiers with him and used to drop in frequently to chat with him or drumming instuctor Joe "Drums" Sefcik, who was a Holyoke legend in his own right. My last memory of the Victory was some time around 1971 when i lost my wallet there with a few bucks in it, oh, i got the wallet back, sans the money of course. Oh by the way, remember the advertisement that you can barely see on the roof, with the penguin and igloo boasting something about the air condioning?
Looking at these recent pictures also make me sad, how on earth could the city let this landmark get in the condition it's in? What ever became of Armand Hammer's grant? It looks like it going to take a lot of time and money to get this beautiful building back to it's glory. Shame on you Holyoke!!!
Thanks for the pics. I'm not from the area and have never seen the inside. I should have taken the day off from work and gone with you all on Wednesday.
Incredible photos. Thanks.
I'd also like to know what happened with the money that was raised from the Armand Hammer art exhibit years ago. Was that money invested? What's the deal?
Holyoke born and raised......Many thanks for the photos....I agree Holyoke along with many other cities has had "Very Poor" leadership! And $25 Million (!?!?!?).... Still would like to see it happen.
Thank you for the tour...I have never been inside and have always wondered what it looked like!
How about some pix from inside the Bud now?
Thank you everyone for all the kind comments.
I don't know if I should waste my time searching for the lost Armand Hammer money. My time would be better spent getting the Victory project underway. Once the project has started, and if the old money doesn't show up by that point, then it will be time to go looking.
The Bud is a tough one because the owner has abandoned it. I would be trespassing if i went in there.
How about adding your pictures to this site ? Quattrohead.
http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/index.php
Quattro, feel free to post them from my photobucket account.
I went to the Victory when I was a kid and watched it go downhill, just like Holyoke has. There was another theater down the street called the Strand and another one down further still, whose name I can't remember.
Yep, the Victory theater, Mountain Park and the stores on High Street.
The third theater youy're thinking of was the Suffolk. I think it was down on Main St.
Thank you so much for the great pics. I grew up in Holyoke in the 60's and took guitar lessons from Bob Ezold from 1959-1960. I spent many hours in the Victory Theatre.
What wonderful memories you brought back. I live in Tennessee now but still return to Holyoke on occasion the visit friends. It's so sad to see such a great little city go down hill like it has. It brings a tear to my eyes when I drive over High St. and remember how it was back in the 60's. Oh, the fun we had at the Colony Restaurant, and the Shanty Lunch, and sitting on the wall at City Hall, and cruising High St. Great Memories. Thank you again for the pics. They are priceless.
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