Chris Silva, executive director of the Bardavon Opera House, says that the facility, which offers a wide gamut of entertainment productions, including opera, classical music, rock-and-roll, children's programming etc., was open throughout the renovation program.

He added that the not-for-profit owner of the Bardavon Opera House, which accommodates up to 944 patrons per event, will be seeking additional funding to secure further improvements to the facility. While the house dates back to 1869, the Bardavon is attempting to restore the facility to the look it had back in the 1920s and early 1930s.

"The renovations first got started here more than 20 years ago when it was saved from demolition," Silva says. He adds that the facility will need more capital improvements to have the facility give the appearance of an early 20th Century Opera House. In the late 1970s the property was saved from a wrecking ball when there was a move to tear down the opera house to make way for a parking lot.

Through the Bardavon reconstruction project, officials with the Bardavon hope that the historic site will once again resemble the original rendering of architect William J. Beardsley.

Beardsley was a prominent Poughkeepsie resident who designed a number of important buildings here in the early 20th Century, including the Dutchess County Courthouse.