Recent upgrades to the O'Shaughnessy Center have increased the building’s energy efficiency and prepared the nearly 30-year-old facility to serve the needs of the growing community into the future.

Built in 1998, the facility has reached an architectural milestone that is often accompanied by the need for maintenance and a bit of refurbishing. 

One of the biggest changes is visible before stepping into the building. Forty-eight solar panels were installed on the south facing facets of the roof in August. 

"I've been talking to Northstone Solar for three years. But things just kept happening. Things kept breaking,” said Jen Asebrook, executive director of the Whitefish Theatre Company, the group responsible for building maintenance and operations. 

When Asebrook learned an available grant was about to vanish, she jumped on the opportunity to install the solar panels which were made possible by funding from the Tamarack Foundation and the Treacy Foundation. 

She then turned her attention to the building's innards. 

"While it was built so well and with a great amount of care and thought, it's becoming an old building with designs that were done in the '90s, and so we have a very big picture view of what needs to happen here,” she said in the lobby. “We started here ... some of it was stylistic, some of it was acoustics, and some of it was just use of the space.” 

The team put a fresh coat of slate blue paint on walls which had been a faded salmon color for years.  

All the outdated fluorescent and incandescent lights in the building are being replaced with LED lights. A local electrician helped install eight new, sparkling chandeliers in the foyer, and deco sconces that light the stairway. 

An acoustic engineer from Helena suggested 2 inches of acoustic insulation covered by an acoustic fabric on the ceiling to deaden the sound in the lobby. The theater team then worked to prepare 1x4 pine boards for the finishing touch. 

“Staff and volunteers – we stained all of this wood in house. We did it ourselves,” Asebrook said proudly. “That's how you do it when you're a nonprofit, and then we hired someone to do the installation.” 

She said they are currently changing all the lights in the theater to LED lights because they are "not only great for our electric bill, but they're so much more flexible.” The LEDs can be changed in mid-show remotely and do not require gels. 

The new front counter, no bigger than the old one, has a waterfall countertop and features two beverage coolers and storage. The area is much more functional than it was previously, when staff often had to restock the old, donated Coke cooler during shows. 

A few pieces of new furniture give the lobby area “pops of color” and make it a more inviting, comfortable place, and another video screen can highlight sponsors or upcoming events.  

“A lot of this was a little bit of DIY with the staff, and with a lovely group of contractors that helped us put this all together,” she said of the remodel, noting that Becky Rygg was instrumental in many of the style choices. 

Not only was the transformation of the lobby a team effort, it was also eco-conscious. Asebrook brought nothing to the landfill. She disposed of the old counter, tables and other items by donating them and putting them on Facebook Marketplace. 

New theater seats were installed, the lobby reconfigured, and spaces added, including a dance studio, conference room, bathroom and an additional costume storage space in the last 10 years. 

Asebrook recently replaced the projector which broke in February and had been given temporary repairs to keep it hobbling along. When films come to the building, they are no longer huge reels of film or on CDs. 

“It's all digital, and you just have to be able to unlock it, and the only way to unlock it is with a projector like that, which are very expensive,” she said of the 4K laser DCP, the purchase of which was made possible by several donations from generous locals and a grant from the Whitefish Community Foundation.  

She is excited about the prospect of showing movies and has the first planned for Halloween weekend. Other ideas are percolating like showing films for Golden Globes Week and other holiday ideas. 

“Maybe we show 'Elf' and we tell you to bring your blankets and your camp chairs and you sit and have a picnic and watch movies or maybe it's a 'Frozen' sing-along with your friends,” Asebrook said excitedly.  

The building houses dynamic activities and is, itself, a structure that is changing to be more energy efficient and better equipped to serve the community in new ways. Keeping the O’Shaughnessy Center lively takes careful planning. 

“We constantly talk big picture. What do we want to do? What do we want to offer our community?" Asebrook said, adding that the way people stepped up to help with the renovation shows how beloved the O’Shaughnessy Center has become. 

"Some people only come in to watch a Warren Miller ski night, but they're so happy to be able to come here and be in this intimate, lovely theater space,” she said. 

The group’s next steps include continuing to upgrade the lights to LEDs, rethinking the theater lights, modernizing the sound system, and updating the bathrooms. 

Asebrook is thankful for the contractors who helped with the project, including Architectural Woodwork of Montana, Nelson's Ace Hardware, All-Phase Home Services, Rob Keim Electric, Matthew Kireilis, Precision Stonework, Empire Plumbing, Big Sky Acoustics and Flathead Fire Protection. 

Reporter Julie Engler can be reached at 406-862-3505 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at whitefishpilot.com/support/.

    Visitors to the O'Shaughnessy Center are greeted by a new counter, new paint, a wood-accented ceiling and new lighting. (Julie Engler/Whitefish Pilot)