Copper Pediment Installed on Top of the Nearly Complete Opera House

One of the key pieces to the old – a rooftop copper pediment bearing the downtown building’s name – was locked into place Tuesday.

A crane was needed to swing the triangular-shaped gable to the top of the two-story building. It centers the façade that faces Lockport Street and mirrors the pointed copper dome that sits atop the round room extending from building’s corner.

With those two components in place, they’ll need just a couple of more weeks to install windows and doors, complete brick work and paint the dome-covered room before the bulk of the exterior is complete, owner/developer Bill Habiger said.

The only missing element will be the clock, which is being made and may not be ready for another seven weeks, he said.

The renovated building is identical to what it would have looked like when built in the early 1900s, architect said. It takes its name from the opera house that once anchored the second floor. Later, it became known as the Clock Tower building, taking its name from the restaurant that was located there for many years.

As for the interior work, “finishing touches” are being done but the big projects – plumbing, electricity, water, heating and cooling – are done, he said. He’s shooting for a completion date of late September/early October.

“It’s been a good project, and it’s been a lot of fun,” Habiger said.

While he’s shown the property to several prospective tenants, he’s not had any takers on the 3,600-square-foot first-floor space, which can be subdivided into one, two or three units, he said.

Once he’s ready to marketing the property in earnest, he’ll hang a large banner on the outside of the building, he said. He expects to fill the space with a mix of retail and office uses, and while he’s not rejected the idea of a restaurant, it will be fairly tight fit for anything other than a sandwich-type place, he said.

Meanwhile, architect Lambert is gathering the final details on the building’s history to submit an application for a National Register of Historic Places designation. If successful, Habiger will be able to claim federal tax credits that will help cover some of the $1 million rehabilitation cost.

Despite the significant work completed in the last year, Habiger said extensive renovation remains to be done on the second floor, including the installation of an elevator to meet ADA standards, construction of rest rooms and reinforcement of one upstairs wall. It will be another year before it is completed and ready to be leased, he said.