Wildey's third floor now complete

Even though the Wildey reopened its doors two years ago, the rebirth of the theatre has only been completed recently with the renovation of the third floor.

The renovation of the currently unnamed third floor began in January with the intent to have a similar look to the second floor for multiple uses.

“It helps broaden the appeal with the opening of the third floor because, for some groups, the second floor was just too small,” Bob Pfeiffer, Parks and Recreation Director said.

Work on the third floor began with gutting the room and installing a new subfloor, which once complete, was followed by the construction of a knee-high wall that would give guests an area to congregate and not require as many tables.

The exposed brick was sealed to prevent the 100-plus year-old mortar from flaking and sound deadening caulk was used in between the subfloor and hardwood floors. Bathrooms and the restoration of the dome in the ceiling of the room, which is believed to be original to the building, were all completed.

Completion of the third floor finishes up the historic theatre and opens up more possibilities for the types of events that can be hosted.

The first event to be officially hosted in the third floor was the annual Junior Service Club awards dinner. The room was also used for the Gary Niebur memorial event and the Route 66 sock hop.

“I think everybody who has seen the room is pretty pleased about it. It’s the character of the exposed brick and original wood work that people like,” Pfeiffer said.

When the project started, the goal was to have open, functional space to accommodate parties. It would allow guests to decorate the room as they see fit and keep them in Edwardsville.

The third floor has hosted five events since it has been open without any advertising. This has city officials excited about the possibilities that exist.

“This room is approximately 40 percent larger than the second floor. That allows us to seat more people and have more people for receptions and dance events. There’s a bit of a difference in the characters of the two rooms also. The Marquee room is great for all kinds of events and dances. We think this is a little bit of a step up from the Marquee Room. It has a little bit more luxury to it,” Pfeiffer said.

Even before the renovation was completed, when guests came in to look at the Marquee Room and were told about the third floor, they expressed interest in it.

The only work that remains is the installation of new light fixtures to replace the fluorescent lights to accommodate guests that wish to dim the lights and complete the look of the room and replacing some of the windows.

“When we have a wedding or a party they like to dim the lights and you can’t dim these,” Pfeiffer said.

Pfeiffer is happy with the interest that has been expressed and looking forward to getting more people into the room. Read the full story at www.solaronlamp.com web.