The Library Hall restoration project at the Oil City Library has currently raised $330,000 in a year, which is more than a third of its overall goal.
“We are looking for between $800,000 and $900,000 for the full project, so having this much funding already is amazing,” said Dan Flaherty, executive director of the Oil Region Library Association.
A lot of work has already been done to clean out the space, which had been used for decades as nothing but storage.
Beyond the currently attainted funding, Flaherty said several grant applications have been sent out, some of which could fund the rest of the project if given at their full amount.
“On average, a theater restoration project takes around 10 years between attaining funds and getting the work done. We are hoping to be one of the projects that brings that number down,” said Flaherty.
“A lot of what we want to do is return this space to how it looked before they started changing things in the 1900s,” Flaherty said.
Most recently, the Library Hall hosted a showing of “Elf” for Christmas Past in Oil City, projecting the movie onto the back wall of the stage and serving popcorn.
Flaherty said the folding chairs for the event were provided by the Belles Lettres Club for the library’s use.
Looking to the future, Library Hall is set to hopefully host local bands, movie nights and many other events to help raise funds for the restoration project.
