Removal of the FOX Marquee Public Statement

Statement on the Removal of the FOX Marquee from the Property at 1124 Main St.

STEVENS POINT - The removal of the old Fox marquee from the facade of the historic theatre at 1124 Main St. in downtown Stevens Point will be complete by end of day, May 17, 2021. The removal of the marquee has been in the works since the city approved the redevelopment plan for the Opera House, LLC. that was submitted last spring. 

According to the general contractor and structural engineer working on the property redevelopment, in order to safely remove the marquee from its elevated position on the face of the building, the sign will have to be deconstructed in place.

Inspections of the marquee concluded that the structure was likely built in place and consists of a wood and metal framework clad with sheet metal and acrylic panelling. Because of its design, the only way to safely remove the sign from the building will be to strip the exterior sheet metal and acrylic paneling from the underlying frame, then cut the frame into manageable pieces that can be safely lowered to the ground one at a time. The pieces will then be loaded onto a trailer and be taken to a storage facility.

This necessary deconstruction process means that it will not be possible to salvage the full structure of the marquee, but efforts have been made to salvage the most iconic pieces of the sign. A crane has been employed to help remove the two parts of the marquee that display the FOX emblem. These pieces will eventually be displayed inside the completed building where they will be safe from further weathering and deterioration. 

Once the marquee is removed, the building’s facade will be repaired and restored as close to its original appearance as possible. Ultimately, the removal of the marquee will be beneficial to the structural integrity of the building in the long term and we hope the community will be understanding of this change.