The Homestake Opera House suffered a devastating fire in 1984. The building sat empty for several years after the fire until a non-profit was formed in the early 2000's to restore the building. Work has been done over last couple of decades to restore the plasterwork and other details in the lobby and theatre space.
In 2019 the board of directors and staff started a capital campaign to raise the funds necessary to finish the restoration and add things to the facility like HVAC, a freight elevator and a fire suppression system. The campaign reached 40% of the goal at $3.2 million and the board of directors and staff decided to publicly announce the campaign in May of 2022. Work continues on the campaign to reach the $15 million goal.
Jack & Vianne Kucera talk about the importance of donating and continuing the process to restore the Homestake Opera House.
Jack & Vianne Kucera are leading the way with the Capital Campaign as they have committed $1.5 million to the project. Jack and Vianne are passionate about philanthropy and have donated to several organizations, most notably the Air Force Academy. While Jack and Vianne have several locations they call home, the Black Hills and Lead are where their hearts are and their roots run deep.
Both of their families have been extensively involved in the Opera House over the years. From Vianne's grandmother playing the piano during the silent movie era to Jack's father volunteering as the go-to electrician for the Opera House.
On January 10, 2023 we launched the Lead Forward Campaign to raise money for the Jewel of the Black Hills capital campaign to restore the Homestake Opera House. The Lead Forward Campaign is a direct mailing campaign to local households asking people to commit to a 5 year pledge at three different tiers, $150, $250 or $500. With 500 pledges at $500 and 1000 pledges at $250 and 2000 pledges at $150, we can raise $4 million!
To learn more about this campaign and donate, contact us at 605-584-2067 or click the donate button below. Please select "Lead Forward" in the dropdown in the donation form.
In January, crews began to erect scaffolding in the theater of the Opera House and work began on the first phase of a multi-stage restoration process--the installation of modern fire suppression and safety systems!
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As the first step of the 4 Stage restoration process comes to a close this month, we visited with Rob Carr, a long-time Lead Firefighter and City Commissioner to discuss the importance of fire suppression in asset protection.
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