Construction began on Thursday to replace air-conditioning units that had been destroyed at the Taproot Theatre in Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood. A groundswell of support helped the theater raise around three-quarters of its $400,000 goal to do so.
In late April, theater officials discovered two of the building’s three air-conditioning units had been taken apart and the copper wiring inside had been removed. At that time, the theater did not have money to replace the units. Leaders worried that the theft would either cause interruptions to performances or force them to close their doors after half a century of operation.
Karen Lund, the theater's producing artistic director, said the copper wire itself wasn’t worth much. But the repairs were costly.
"Suddenly, you know, for less than $100 — we're talking about over $100,000 or more worth of damages," she said.
Summer at the theater typically means nightly performances, as well as educational programming for children during the day, bringing around 350 kids in and out of the building during the warm months.
“If you've got power and lights and people all day in a building, there was no way it wasn't going to heat up,” Lund said. “We were going to need those air conditioners. So suddenly, there was a timeline, and we thought, ‘We've got about six weeks to make this right.’”
Now, about two-and-a-half weeks after the theft was discovered, theater leaders are breathing a sigh of relief. More than 800 individuals have helped raise more than $300,000.
“I’ve been starting to go to work and cry every day because it’s just been overwhelming to realize the goodness and the kindness of the people of Seattle,” Lund said.
She said the City of Seattle has also reached out to help approve permits and inspections in a timely manner.
Air conditioning technicians were able to connect the last working unit to feed cool air throughout the building, allowing the show to go on.
"They're not going to have to stop our work at all,” Lund said. “They're going to be able to just flip a switch once the new units are in, and we'll go right from where we are to the brand new, more comfortable HVAC. So it's very exciting."
Installation of those new HVAC systems has led to some logistical challenges: Lund said workers will have to expand a hole in the theater’s roof so that the new system can fit.
It is unclear when exactly the theft happened, but theater staff noticed the building began warming up toward the end of April, even with cooler temperatures outside. HVAC technicians conducted tests that showed the AC units were operating as they should. It wasn’t until a staff member decided to check the units on the roof that they discovered the AC units had been torn apart.
The theater has been through a lot over the past decade and a half, including arson back in 2009, a nearby natural gas explosion in 2016 and, of course, a global pandemic.
The repairs took place just in time for the theater’s opening of Neil Simon’s play Barefoot in the Park that runs through June 20. Summer camps are scheduled to start in late June.
