April 29, 2008
     Severely deteriorated roof over the backstage entrances is rebuilt.
    At the rear of the theater there is a small parking area with doors leading to the stage as well as an outdoor stairway which leads to the dressing rooms and sub-basement.  A small roof which runs the width of the building keeps the weather off the stairs and loading dock.  Well, at one point the roof kept the weather out.  This roof, which is believed to be original to the building, was a victim to time and neglect and today only a portion of it remains, the rest having rotted away over the years.  While the back stairs are not used often, repair of this roof was made a top priority as rainwater collects in the stairway and runs into the sub-basement, causing flooding problems. Additionally, pieces of the roof and gutter have been falling off, posing a safety hazard to passersby.  The first step in the process was completed in early April as the trees that were growing through the roof were removed.  Some had grown to over 35 feet in height and based on a count of the growth rings were over 20 years old. 
     Work to repair the most neglected roof on the Hanover Theater started as scaffolding and safety fence were set up on the left side of the building.  The remaining roof deck was removed revealing the of the steel framework which supports the roof.  The steel is in excellent condition and will be cleaned to remove loose rust and painted with an industrial coating which encapsulates the rust and prevents further rust from forming.  Using materials supplied by Schmuck Lumber Company, the roof framing will be replaced and we will custom mill deck boards which will look identical to the originals.  The underside of the deck will be painted green (like the original) and the roof will be covered with architectural style shingles.  The existing canopy lights have deteriorated to the point that they are not repairable and will be replaced with reproductions.

First phase of rear roof completed   June 9, 2008
     Rusty gutters and a leaking downspout won't empty into stairway anymore.
     After hours of scraping, painting and custom woodworking, the first segment of the rear roof repair has been completed.  This section was repaired first as it is under an area of rusted out gutter on the stage house.  Earlier in the year temporary repairs to the gutter were made to force all the water from the stage house roof into the downspout, just to find out that the downspout was not properly installed and it leaked too!  To maintain the historic appearance of the theater, the paint color was determined by analyzing the few spots of original paint that remained and the boards that make up the underside of the roof were custom milled to look like the originals. 
    With the first section completed, it was time to move the scaffolding, but there was one thing in the way - a heat exchanger from the original air conditioning system.  Over the course of a week, the behemoth was cut into manageable pieces, hauled away and sold as scrap metal.  One man's trash is truly another man's treasure as the Friends of the Hanover Theater received over $750 for the 2 ½ tons of scrap they hauled away.

Rear roof completed   July 15, 2008
     Rainwater no longer enters the basement!!
     It seemed like it took forever to complete the first phase of the rear roof, but the second phase just flew by.  In just over one week (with perfect weather) we were able to complete the entire second phase which involved almost twice area of the first phase.  In the next few months we hope to obtain round gutters for the roof and reproduction lights for underneath it.