Exciting News

We are excited to announce that the Victory Theatre’s historic murals restoration project is complete!

Expert restorationists Evergreene Architectural Arts of New York City fully restored the two 23-foot-tall Vincent Maragliotti WPA murals on April 8, 2024. Evergreen’s team moved the murals back to Holyoke masterfully implementing and overseeing their protective storage where they will await reinstallation. The mural's completion is a key step in bringing us closer to a reopened theater. 

“What a wonderful achievement for MIFA and the City of Holyoke. A significant piece of the city’s history has been preserved for future generations. The mural restoration represents a terrific cooperation between MIFA and the Community Preservation Act Committee, among other donors, and a special shoutout should go to Kip Foley and Meagan Magrath (CPA Committee Chairs), and their committees, and to Michael J. Sullivan for making this happen.” 

- Don Sanders, MIFA Executive Artistic Director

Before and After photos of Right Mural depicting Victory

Courtesy of Evergreene Architectural Arts

 

Mural History

After a damaging fire in 1942, the Victory Theatre’s interior was refreshed by noted Italian American New York artist Vincent Maragliotti (1888-1978), who supervised the decorative interior treatment as part of the renowned Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. Maragliotti’s two murals depicting War and Victory were created when the outcome of WWII was in no way certain, and an integral historical part of the proscenium and the Victory’s stage surround recognized as such by the Massachusetts Historical Commission. MIFA raised funds from the National Trust for Historic Preservation's "Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund for Historic Interiors," the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, the Beveridge Foundation, Friends of MIFA Victory Theatre, and funds in part from the Citizens of Holyoke, MA through the Community Preservation Act, to complete this $400,000 project. Recently, MIFA completed a yearlong exhibition of the right mural lunette for display at Wistariahurst Museum as part of Holyoke’s 150th anniversary celebration.


Learn more about the Victory Theatre's historic Vincent Maragliotti murals here: www.mifafestival.org/murals 

A future public exhibition of the completed murals is in development

&

Look out for exclusive photos in our next newsletter


STAY TUNED!

Learn more about MIFA Victory Theatre

Facebook  Instagram  LinkedIn  YouTube
LinkedIn Share This Email