O-A-K receives ABC Award of Excellence for restoration project at Tibbits Opera House

(GRAND RAPIDS, MI) – Owen-Ames-Kimball Co. (O-A-K), local construction management firm, announces the receipt of an esteemed ABC Award of Excellence in the Historic Restoration category for their work at Tibbits Opera House. O-A-K was the only recipient of a Historic Restoration award at this year’s award ceremony, hosted by the ABC Western Michigan Chapter.

Completed earlier this year, the restoration of the 1882 French Second Empire façade at Tibbits Opera House in Coldwater, Michigan, exemplifies the power of preservation. All components of the project followed the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for the treatment of historic properties. The project features the repair, rather than replacement, of several components of the original historic features including masonry, architectural metalwork, and windows. The necessary replacement elements matched original shapes, profiles, color, and textures substantiated through photographic documentation and physical evidence. Project costs totaled $1.2 million.

Tibbits Opera House is owned and operated by Tibbits Opera Foundation and Arts Council, Inc. This award is one of several garnered as a result of the façade restoration project. The project team, which included Grand River Builders and Tom Roberts Architects, also received a Governor’s Award for historic restoration in May 2013.