Written by Baylie Hoffman (they/she)

In the late 1980’s, as the theatre was restored and revived, Quinn Smith took on the project to oversee the reproduction of the 1919 stenciling in the theatre. He was a dedicated volunteer, artist, and one of the founding members of the Friends of the Library Theatre. They quickly learned there was no visual remains of the auditorium stenciling at that time, until they removed the sound deadening panels on the walls that existed from the movie theatre era. This revealed the remnants of the 1919 stenciling, and with an attempt to replicate the colors of what we see now, they were back in action. Quinn Smith and other volunteers were able to trace the original designs and cut new stencils before hand-painting them onto the walls. Cobbs Wallpapering and Paint company donated all the material needed, allowing the intricate project to begin.

In July of 2023, I spoke with two of the gentlemen who spent countless hours hand painting all these intricate details in 1983. When asked what his experience was atop those scaffolds, Jim Siliano chuckled and stated “It was hairy. It was a neat job to do, and we were able to make it turn out nice.” Whereas when asking Ed Reedy, he stated, “I did those type of jobs all my life, so I was used to doing it.” He went on to say this was his first job back in Warren and he had no trouble finding work after such an important well-known project. “The only unique thing about that was that we had an engineer trying to figure out how to do the ceiling, as it would have been a plum bob back in the day” said Reedy. Of course, I had further questions about exactly what that tool was and how it was used. A plum bob is a weight with a pointed tip on the bottom, suspended from a string and used as a vertical reference line.

As for the peacocks in the lobby entry, Quinn Smith hand painted this reproduction of a motif that is featured on the original 1919 asbestos fire curtain that hangs above the stage.

Quinn Smith hand-painting peacocks, 1983.

It’s always all hands-on deck at Struthers Library Theatre! Big or small, no great feat is completed without the time and hands of countless volunteers and employees over the years. Special thanks to Ed Reedy, Jim Siliano, and Ellen Paquette for help with more information.