O'Shaughnessy plans to renovate, expand

The O’Shaughnessy Center is a busy place with every available space in the building in near constant use.

“There’s something happening in the building almost 365 days per year,” Carolyn Pitman said. “We are the best classroom space in town.”

Pitman is director of the Whitefish Theatre Company, which leases the building from the city. The cramped quarters often push play practices or stage and costume work into the lobby area.

“We have lots of users,” Pitman said. “We have three to seven renters in here on a weekly basis, not counting WTC activities.”

It’s this use that has the WTC looking to renovate and expand the O’Shaughnessy Center. Earlier this month, the Whitefish City Council approved the group’s plans.

WTC is looking to replace the 15-year-old seats and retractable system in the theater area. The seating has become worn out and is physically difficult to move. By replacing the seats the hope is to provide a more flexible environment inside the performance space.

To rectify a crowded lobby area that suffers from narrow space between the concession area and the inner doors, WTC would like to remove the inner doors of the lobby. The current outer doors would become the inside doors and a new entrance area would be constructed under the existing roof in front of the center.

A proposed two-story multi-purpose room is planned for the south side of the building to accommodate those groups who use the facility. Currently the one classroom/studio on the northwest side of the building is overbooked for classes, rehearsals and meetings. The new space would be used for similar activities.

Storage space remains an issue for WTC. One storage room is brimming with costumes and props and still other storage space is being utilized off site. However, for the remodel the theater company chose to focus on specific areas for expansion.

“The public space is the space we decided to focus on,” Pitman said. “There’s really no way for us to store everything. What we really need is activity space.”

Pitman points out the number of folks that pass through the O’Shaughnessy on a daily basis.

“We have about 400 volunteers during the course of the year,” she said. “It’s a great example of the community working together.”

Also proposed is a remodel of the single office space on the northeast corner of the building to create several smaller private offices. Currently the WTC staff shares the office area.

WTC is expected to begin a fundraising campaign for the improvements.

The O’Shaughnessy opened in 1998 after a fundraising campaign. This is the second time since the initial construction that WTC has remodeled.

The expansion of the multi-prupose room on the south side will line up with the city’s plans to construct public restrooms on that side of the building.