The Victory Theatre opened in 1919, closed in 1979 and is scheduled to reopen Dec. 30, 2012.
The interior of the Victory Theatre, where 28-foot-tall murals by New York artist Vincent Maragliotti flank the stage. HOLYOKE – The Victory Theatre on Suffolk Street is undergoing a $27 million renovation, and for six weeks this summer, it will also be a classroom.
Vitek Kruta, a teacher at Holyoke Community College, will use his training in decorative and fine arts to teach a course in restoration of historic buildings.
“Basically, the Victory Theatre is a kind of a laboratory for them,” said JoAnne L. Rome, e-communications manager at the college.
Kruta, of Holyoke, said on the phone earlier this week that students will work inside the theater, at 81-89 Suffolk St.
They will collect and analyze samples of decorative painting, murals, plaster, gold leaf and faux finishes, he said.
They will mix paint colors to determine just the right shade and also do stenciling, he said.
Stenciling is one of the numerous touches of craftsmanship in the theater, which opened in 1919 and has been closed since 1979.
Students will learn about the roles of the Holyoke Historic Commission and other agenices in such a preservation project, Kruta said.
“It will be a very hands-on class,” he said.
The nonprofit Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts owns and is in charge of restoring the theater using government tax credits, grants and fund-raising.
The building has sustained roof, water and mold problems. But tours offered by the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts have revealed that the care for detail that went into creating the theater remains evident in the marble, mahogany and art deco surfaces despite being smothered for years by hunks of plaster and blankets of dust.
The former vaudeville house is on track to reopen Dec. 30, 2012, officials have said.
Kruta, who was born in Prague in the Czech Republic, has been working on preserving and restoring the murals that flank the Victory Theatre stage. The murals stand 28 feet tall and 13 feet wide.
“I think it’s a magnificent structure,” Kruta said.
The course has room for about 15 students, he said.
The three-credit course will run from June 6 to July 15 on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The cost is $477, Rome said.
To sign up, go to the Holyoke Community College admissions office in Room 221 in the Frost Building. Ask to register for “ART 155: An Introduction to the Restoration of Historic Buildings.”
Sign-up also is available online at hcc.edu
For information call (413) 552 2321.