​​ANNOUNCING
The All Access Project​​ at the historic Vergennes Opera House

​What is the All Access Project? 

Discussions about the All Access Project at the Vergennes Opera House began years ago when a local supporter asked the all-volunteer group to “please get an elevator” because “we are all getting older and climbing the stairs is getting more difficult.”

​At the time, we were concentrating on reorganizing and working to manage the facility and the programming with a new all-volunteer team. Our focus was on getting the organization financially stable and sustainably supported by local businesses, organizations and individuals. And we had a season to plan, but we never forgot this special request.Today, some seven+ years later, the Opera House is financially stable and the volunteer team is now turning its attention to this audacious and exciting “All Access Project.” It is a major endeavor to be sure, but one that we are totally committed to. The all volunteer Board of Directors has been dreaming about this for years and we are finally going to take the leap and get it done, with a lot of help from you, our friends and community. 

Our Core Team: Our core team consists of restoration specialists, Opera House board members, a local development and planning professional, the city manager, and other representatives from the local and state level including the professionals at the Vermont 
Department of Historic Preservation who are committed to helping us throughout each phase.

The “All Access” project falls into three general phases:

​1. Front Doors to City Hall - upgrade the current historic set of two double doors on the street level with safe yet architecturally appropriate replacements - already approved and in process by the city. These new custom-built doors will  be outfitted with the most up-to-date hardware to meet the requirements for safe egress from a public building and gathering space.

2. ADA Drop-off Area and Ramp Access - improve the drop-off access to the ADA ramp on the second level at the rear of the building. This access, which was grant funded by the Vermont Arts Council in 1996, was one of the first major improvements to the Opera House and not only allowed access to all, but it also helped us meet the requirements for a 300-person occupancy allowance. There is no parking at this level, which is a major limitation for those who need to access the ADA ramp.

3. Elevator Tower - install an elevator, with related driveway and landscaping improvements, in the alley space between the Opera House and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. This new elevator tower and related landscaping, will allow for easy access to not only the first floor of city hall, but also to the second floor theater space. The tower will be architecturally interesting, functional and convenient for all to use.  We estimate that the entire “All Access” project will take between 3 and 4 years to complete. 

We know this is a big project, but over the course of the past 24 years of restoring and managing the Vergennes Opera House successfully, we know that this is the next and best project for our beloved historic theater space. We look forward to sharing our plans and our progress as we continue to move forward with this exciting project. 

Thank you for joining us in this next great adventure!

Want to get involved? 

We are very much looking forward to building a generous and forward-thinking group of donors to help us through the various phases of this fantastic project. 

Members of our core team are ready and willing to meet with you to see how you can get involved and be a part of making the opera house accessible to everyone. 

Key contacts for the All Access Project are: Susan Schaefer, Treasurer (973.727.9482, sus.schaefer@me.com) and project leader and Gerianne Smart, President and project co-leader (802.777.7610, getsmartvt@gmail.com).

We look forward to sharing our plans and our progress as we continue to move forward.