Warren Scott GRAND TOUR — Nick Ulan, far left, deputy regional director for U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, received an update Friday about ongoing efforts to restore the Grand Theater during a tour of the 101-year-old building with, from left, Steubenville City Manager Jim Mavromatis; Scott Dressel, president of the volunteer group that’s been working to renovate it; and Mayor Jerry Barilla.

STEUBENVILLE — Efforts to renovate the Grand Theater received a major boost in 2023, when more than $2 million in state and federal funds were awarded for interior work on the 101-year-old building.

Now, Scott Dressel and other members of the Steubenville Historic Landmarks Commission, which owns it, hope to attain about $2.6 million from some of the same sources to bring the facility closer to being able to host special events.

Dressel and city officials met Friday with Nick Ulan, deputy regional director for U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, to make his case for additional funding.

He said he hopes to secure about $600,000 in State Capital Bill funds to serve as a local match for a $2 million federal grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission the group hopes to obtain.

Not wanting to put their eggs in one basket, the group also has reached out to local representatives in the state Legislature and city officials for potential other funding sources.

Dressel said goals for the project’s next phase include the installation of a new elevator; a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system; a fire suppression system; and restrooms.

He hopes sufficient work can be done this year to allow the theater to host special events and private gatherings that would generate revenue for the theater’s completion.

Dressel said, for example, the building could be used to stage the “Wooden Heart Follies,” a show held during the Nutcracker Village event and inspired by the life-size figures it features, or space could be rented on the second floor for area residents to view the city’s Christmas parade through the large windows above South Fourth Street.

Ultimately, he envisions the theater offering musicals and concerts of the same caliber of those presented at Wheeling’s Capitol Theatre.

“We probably hear from about 100 groups each year who want to perform here,” said Dressel.

Future work would involve the theater at 121 S. Fourth St., including its upper ballroom with space for hundreds of visitors, and an attached vacant building that was occupied by many furniture stores through the years.

Accompanied by city officials, Dressel led Ulan on a tour of the two buildings, noting the work completed through a $1.5 million grant through the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization Initiative, a $500,000 grant from the Save America’s Treasures program administered by the National Park Service and a $300,000 Ohio Capital Bill grant.

Since the commission’s incorporation as a nonprofit organization in 2010, it has made many improvements to the building with the help of volunteers and businesses that have donated their services.

They included replacement of the roofs on both buildings, removing tons of debris and items that had been stored there since the theater closed in 1979, removal of mold, repairs to the walls and ceiling and carpet installation in the lobby, new plastered walls in the ballroom and electrical upgrades.

For Ulan’s visit, Dressel warmed up a Wurlitzer pipe organ that was played in the theater when it opened in 1924.

He noted the large musical instrument had been purchased by Elmer Friend, a Steubenville native then living in Rockford, Ill., and was donated to the theater by his family following his death.

Dressel said the historical landmarks commission paid for it to be shipped to Steubenville and about 200 volunteers were involved in reassembling its many parts under the direction of Joe Humpe, a pipe organ specialist in Richmond.

Now 93 years old, Humpe has repaired and built many of the instruments, and the commission plans to use one of his own creations in the ballroom.

Mayor Jerry Barilla applauded Dressel and other members of the commission for their efforts, adding they prevented the historic building from being torn down.

Barilla said there once were five theaters in downtown Steubenville, and it’s been said that collectively they drew as many as 7,000 people in one night.

“Imagine 500 to 800 people coming out of here. It could build up every restaurant in town,” he said.

Barilla offered encouragement to Dressel, saying, “You’ve done a great job, Scott. You’ve seen ups and downs, and you have really been a trooper. You’ve come too far to turn back now.”

Dressel said he is optimistic about the project’s future.

“This is my fun volunteer work, and it is fun. I can’t wait to be on the stage on opening night,” he said.