West Virginia’s grande dame of theaters is undergoing a major facelift made possible, in part, by the technology and staff expertise of the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center (MAMC).
Huntington’s majestic Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center closed Dec. 14, 2023, in preparation for a top-to-bottom renovation of the nearly 100-year-old, Spanish Baroque-style theater designed by famed Scottish-American architect Thomas Lamb.
Since then, new seats and carpeting have been installed, its electrical system upgraded, stage replaced, the bathrooms and dressing rooms remodeled, the basement waterproofed and many architectural features repaired or replaced. That’s just some of the upgrades in phase one of the three-phase, more than $34,000,000 project.
Over the years, some of the architectural elements – both utilitarian and decorative – had become worn, damaged or simply went missing. Replacing them was a challenge because the original manufacturers are long since gone and blueprints do not exist.
That’s where MAMC was called upon to assist. Engineers and machinists were enlisted to reverse engineer a variety of elements, things such as steel and brass floor vents, decorative end caps, light shades, finials for railings, ornamentation for the marque. First, existing parts had to be scanned to create three-dimensional computer drawings that could be used to manufacture replacements.
Various types of advanced equipment then were deployed to manufacture replicas. Metal elements were cut using MAMC’s waterjet and lasercutting technology and in some cases bent into their precise shapes on a hydraulic press brake. Several types of 3D printing technology were utilized as well.
Railing finials and floor vents under the seating in the main auditorium were reproduced on a Markforge 3D printer that uses carbon-infusion fiber to produce lightweight but very strong replacements.
Light covers in the lobby presented a special challenge. To replicate the dragon themed decorative element, MAMC Design Engineer Chis Shaffer scanned an identical cover, took pictures to match the unique color, then overlayed the photos on a computer-aided design file to match the original’s unique hues. Finally, he printed the cover on MAMC’s Fortus J850 3D printer, which is capable of printing in full color, producing subtle shades and gradiants.
“It really has helped a lot being able to work with the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center, to have them local,” said Gary Cooper, operations manager for the Keith-Albee. “It’s been a great working relationship, to have MAMC come onsite to see items needing to be reproduced then filling the expertise of getting those items made for a 97-year-old building where a lot of the items in the theater are no longer made by anyone on the world.”
The Keith-Albee is expected to reopen sometime this fall. Cooper said patrons once again will get to marvel at the historic theater’s unique elements as they appeared on opening day in 1928. He credited MAMC with helping make that happen.
MAMC Director Derek Scarbro said he knew his team of manufacturing specialists was capable of tackling the challenges presented by the Keith-Albee renovations. He said he is proud that their hard work and ingenuity has contributed to the restoration of such a state treasure.
“To know that we played a small part in restoring the glory of this treasure is immensely gratifying,” Scarbro said. “May audiences enjoy this one-of-a-kind wonder for another hundred years!”
July 29, 2025
