A large rosette in the ceiling of the Calumet Theatre’s auditorium is where an elaborate chandelier once hung, suspended from heavy beams above the ceiling. An engineering firm has recently been engaged to conduct structural studies on the beams. (Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette)

CALUMET — A large, ornate electric chandelier that had hung from the ceiling in the auditorium of the Calumet Theatre since it was built in 1900, was destroyed by a backstage fire eight years later. It was not replaced – yet.

Since 2023, Calumet native Jim Enrietti has been the driving force behind a project to raise the funding to replace the chandelier that has been gone for 106 years. He organized and hosted the first Calumet Theatre fundraising event in July, 2023. In July, 2024, the Second Annual Fundraiser Dinner and Ball was conducted in the Calumet Theatre Ball Room.

In Sept. 2024, the Keweenaw Health Foundation donated $15,000 to the chandelier replacement project to support the Jim Enrietti Diamond Jubilee Chandelier restoration project. Enrietti said the donation puts the Chandelier Society in the financial position to now move forward with the first phase of the project.

Enrietti said in September that the KHF donation would fund the study the beams and supports above the ceiling that held the original chandelier, and determine if any alterations are necessary, and how much weight can safely be suspended from the beam.

An engineering firm has been engaged to to provide both a design for the new chandelier and a study to determine those things in addition to a report on what mechanical systems will be necessary to raise and lower the chandelier for maintenance and cleaning.

Because no image or photograph of the original 1900 chandelier has yet surfaced, the Calumet Theatre Board has a standing promise of a free lifetime Theatre Company membership to the first person to present a photograph or image. The final selection of a chandelier also depends on the amount of money raised through fundraisers and donations. The Third Annual fundraiser dinner and ball is scheduled for July, 2025.

Because the Calumet Theatre will celebrate its 125th anniversary on March 20, 2025, the Society members are hoping to have the new chandelier installed and lighted sometime around that date.

Fundraising for the project, which began in 2023, is ongoing. The Third Annual Fundraiser Dinner and Ball is scheduled for July 5, 2025.