Rodgers Theatre tower lighting up downtown again

The crown, along with the spire and orb, rejoined the historic Rodgers Theatre’s tower Monday morning to once again light up downtown Poplar Bluff.

The colored lights are now LEDs (light-emitting diodes) instead of being neon, said Chris Halcumb of Halcumb Construction Co., LLC.

Halcumb was assisted by other Halcumb crew members Lloyd Miller and Garrett Halcumb as they reattached the original cap, spire and orb to the commercial building built in 1949. The three-story, brick and concrete building was constructed with Art Deco and Art Moderne stylistic elements.

Rodgers Theatre, Inc. Board of Directors President Wally Duncan explained, “We kept the crown, spire and orb when the tower was dismantled and they have been in storage. That’s the original crown, that’s 1949 vintage.”

The cap was taken down May 29, 2018, when the tower was dismantled, Duncan said.

When the Halcumb crew finished, electricians from Eubanks Electric LLC followed.

Duncan said the electrical crew was there “this morning doing a little bit of cleanup work. We still have to put the skirt around the bottom.”

The roof repairs were “done a little over a year ago,” Duncan said.

The repair costs are being paid by fundraisers, proceeds from the shows and events, as well as a lot of donations.

“We couldn’t do what we’re doing without donations,” Duncan said. “We’re very appreciative, and it’s certainly been a long time coming. We appreciate everyone’s patience.”

“We’ve gotten good, strong community support,” Duncan said. “We couldn’t do it without the community support and hopefully, it will help be the start of the revitalization of downtown.”

Duncan said, he and the Rodgers group are “excited about some of the other people who are coming in and trying to do some things downtown. We’ve got some innovative young people who are trying to make some things happen, and we’re very supportive.

“We really appreciate the good work done by Chris Halcumb and his crew and Jamie Eubanks of Eubanks Electric LLC. They did the electrical work for us. Jerry Lewis Construction brought the crane in, and they’ve been very good to work with. These people have tried to help us as much as possible with the costs and we’re very appreciative. Joey Githens restored the Rogers letters. He did all that work and donated his labor. There is one other person I would like to mention, Mike Lux. Mike passed away a few months ago with COVID. He had M & S Glass here in town. Mike worked long hours, volunteered his time and helped us with the tower. We would not have been able to get this project completed without him. I’m just very sorry he did not get to see the completed efforts, but we certainly want to remember him.”

Praising the Rodgers board, Duncan said, “we’ve got a really good board. There are a lot of talented people on the board and everyone applies their talents and skills. That’s how we’re able to do things. We’ve got a really good group of people.”

The board is in the process of starting restoration work on the marquee.

“We are working with a local business to get an estimate of the cost,” Duncan said. “We are trying to get some ideas of how renovation can be done. It’s going to be an involved project, and it’s going to involve a lot of time and a lot of labor. But, we have started.”