SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii -- The Sgt. Smith Theater, here, is getting an estimated $600,000 facelift.
The theater will close for renovations July 18-May 2012.
When the historic building reopens, the lobby, restrooms and dressing rooms will have a new coat of paint, according to David Lee, Construction Management office, Directorate of Public Works, U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii.
DPW is also overseeing the replacement of the hardwood flooring on the stage.
Plus, the lower auditorium will get new, modern and more spacious seating. While the seating capacity will decrease from 1,500 to 1,328, knee and leg space will increase.
Other upgrades to the auditorium include new carpeting and the installation of LED floor lights.
The Exchange, the entity that operates the theater, is also contributing to the venue’s modernization with a digital sound system for the digital/3-D projection system that is planned for 2013, according to Lori Maggard, food court manager, Hawaii-Exchange. The concession stand will be also upgraded and reconfigured.
Constructed by the 3rd Engineer Regiment in 1933 in the Art Deco style, the theater was later renamed to honor Platoon Sgt. Elmelindo Smith, according to Kathleen Ramsden, curator, Tropic Lightning Museum. Smith was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, Feb. 16, 1967, for his heroic actions in the Vietnam War with the 4th Infantry Division.
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