Preservation is slated to begin soon at the Tivoli Theater in Spencer.

Cook family promises an encore for the Tivoli

4/13/2012

The Cook family earned preservation kudos once again on April 2 when they announced that they will restore the 84-year-old Tivoli Theatre in Spencer for Owen County Preservations, the local non-profit preservation organization that owns the landmark.

Artist and sculptor E.M. Viquesney, perhaps best known for his sculpture “Spirit of the American Doughboy”— copies of which dot courthouse lawns, public parks, and cemeteries across the country – financed construction of the Tivoli. Greencastle architect H.C. Callender, Jr. designed the theater in the Mission Revival style, the only example of the style in Owen County. 

The Tivoli opened on New Year’s Eve in 1928 and functioned as a movie house for 70 years until it closed in 1998. The vacant building fell into disrepair and was threatened with demolition when Owen County Preservations acquired it in 2005, aided by a loan from Indiana Landmarks. Since then the group has worked to make basic repairs while seeking a long-term preservation solution for the property.

The Tivoli remains remarkably intact both inside and out – a bonus to the restoration crew scheduled to begin next month and complete the work in 2013.  One of Cook’s medical device plants is located in Spencer and the company employs nearly 600 people in the area.

“Historic preservation has been important to the company and to my family for many years,” Carl Cook says. “With this project, we hope the Tivoli will bring a positive community atmosphere back to downtown Spencer, the way our other restoration projects have to small towns across the Midwest.” Given the Cook standards of restoration and the experienced team they have assembled, the future definitely looks bright for the Tivoli.

Read more about the restoration of the Tivoli Theater in the Spencer Evening-World: http://tinyurl.com/cha3xd3 and http://tinyurl.com/7e6c7yb.