The interior of the Sterling Opera House in Derby. Photo courtesy of Anthony Mullin.
DERBY — Members of the new committee working to revive the historic Sterling Opera House plans to spread its message at an upcoming community event.
Alderman Brian Coppolo, vice-chairman of the Sterling Opera House Commission, said at a meeting July 10 the commission will have a booth at Derby Day coming up on Sept. 9.
The commission was approved by the Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen in March. Its members are working on securing funds and grants for interior renovations to the historic building.
Coppolo said the members will have a table and tent set up on Derby Day in front of the opera house at 112 Elizabeth St. They plan to have various fundraising items for sale, such as T‑shirts and hats, emblazoned with a new logo promoting the opera house, as well as informative pocket cards to hand out to folks, detailing the building’s past.
The Sterling Opera House, built in 1889, is named for Charles A. Sterling, founder of the former Derby-based Sterling Piano Company. In its heyday, celebrities including George Burns, Lionel, John and Ethel Barrymore, Harry Houdini and even Amelia Earhart appeared at the theater, prior to its final curtain call in 1945.
Derby City Hall and the police station occupied the first floor of the building until 1965. The opera house was the first structure in Connecticut to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The city, for decades, has been working to restore the Sterling back to its glory. Numerous grants were secured under the previous administrations of former Mayors Marc Garofalo and Anthony Staffieri for renovations. The majority of renovations, however, have been to the building’s exterior.
More recently, the Sterling has generated plenty of interest from area filmmakers and ghost hunters. During the pandemic in Feb. 2021, iconic crooner Harry Connick, Jr. shot a video for “Amazing Grace” at the opera house.
Coppolo said the commission is on a mission to seek more funding to ensure the interior of the building gets restored. Last month, state Rep. Mary Welander, D‑114th, helped secure $100,000 in state funding, which Coppolo said will be used to evaluate needed repairs and renovations to the building.
“The money is dog-eared for assessment and to have architects come in and see what it takes to bring the building up to par,” Coppolo said.
Coppolo said the commission is also working on a memorandum of understanding to get money in an endowment fund established by the Valley Community Foundation in 2011, transferred from the previous fundraising nonprofit, Save Our Sterling, to the new commission. That will allow the new commission to accept donations and seek grant money, which will still be administered through VCF, Coppolo said.
Members also said they’re working to get approval from the city for a liability waiver to gain access to the city-owned building. This would allow them to conduct limited tours of the Sterling during Derby Day.
“We want the opportunity to bring people in there because we think it will pique their interest and it will be a great revenue stream for us,” Coppolo said. “It’s a beautiful building on the outside, but it really takes your breath away on the inside.”
The commission meets the second Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Hotchkiss Hose Co., and the public is welcome to attend. They also created an Instagram and Facebook page to keep the public updated on their progress.
Separately, the Sterling Opera House might get national exposure from a television show.
Beth Adams, representing ‘Hidden America,’ a show on the Discovery Channel, is looking for people with “a personal link to the property,” according to a message shared with The Valley Indy.
“The segment will include one or two walking and talking interviews at the Sterling with individuals that have a personal link to the property. This interview would be sometime in the week of the 4th of September for a few hours with a small crew of 2 – 3 people and one camera,” Adams said in an email.
