ABOVE: The current construction status of the Fairmont Opera House. The FOH requires $4 million to repair the building by the end of 2025.

FAIRMONT — The curtains of the Fairmont Opera House are drawing once more–but for an important message. The Fairmont Opera House requires approximately $4 million to rebuild the roof and a generous amount of interior inside the building. To ensure that the theater still stands by 2026, executive director Blake Potthoff and administrative assistant Katelyn Langwith are telling the community that necessary action must be taken immediately.

The Fairmont Opera House is 123 years old, making itself the oldest, long-standing, operating theater in the state of Minnesota. For decades, the Fairmont Opera House has served itself as a location for entertainment and in October of 2023, the theater closed its doors to make way for construction plans. The Capital Campaign launched on Tuesday, July 23 of this year.

Currently, the Fairmont Opera House is required to spend approximately $11,000 a month to keep the scaffolding inside the building.

“This price will only increase the longer we wait,” said Potthoff. “If we don’t have the money by the end of 2025, it will end if the community can’t help.”

Potthoff and Langwith shared that they have witnessed community misconceptions regarding the construction of the theater. According to the Fairmont Opera House staff, questions raised by community members included grant inquiries, former repairs dating back to 2003, and what was done with the $1 million the Fairmont Opera House received several years ago.

In 2017, the Fairmont Opera House became one of five beneficiaries of Marlin Milbrandt’s estate. A sum of $350,000 was put into a long-term investment. This money was used to help the theater endure the lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic and is currently referred to as the theater’s ‘survival fund,’ according to Potthoff.

“We would still need to fundraise even if the $1 million were still intact,” Potthoff stated.

In 2003, a critical truss developed cracks in the Fairmont Opera House and required two cranes to support the roof. To mend the problem, steel was put into the roof, but was unable to span the width of the facility. Four years later, in 2007, the final component of the 2003 construction was completed, with cables installed to stabilize the truss system. In 2018, Fairmont Roofing covered roof parapets and roof repairs to eliminate ice damming after water damage that spring. Potthoff stressed that the repairs made in 2003 were not ‘for nothing’ and were crucial to rescue the building.

Regarding grants, Potthoff noted that the theater and its staff are thoroughly searching for grants for programming, operations and capital support. The staff has gathered more than 200 grant opportunities on a list. The Fairmont Opera House, unfortunately, does not qualify for many of the grants on said list.

Located on the Fairmont Opera House website are the community story blogs the Fairmont Opera House publishes regularly. The works include the stories of community members, the opera house board, staff and more who have been positively impacted by the Fairmont Opera House’s programs and history. Several affiliates ache to return to the building.

During the “Mary Poppins” showtimes in late July, both Langwith and Potthoff ushered the show with information on the capital campaign, including a smaller replica display of the current state of the opera house and proposed repairs.

The Fairmont Opera House offers merchandise in different styles and sizes to help raise funds, which can be ordered on the website. To save the Fairmont Opera House and support the preservation, consider donating to the Capital Campaign at https://fairmontoperahouse.app.neoncrm.com/forms/capital-donate. At the time of writing, The Fairmont Opera House has reached less than 2 percent of its $4 million goal, with a total of 102 generous supporters.