The details
The project, a renovation of the building adjacent to its current space, will add more than 5,000 square feet to the existing footprint, according to Bastrop Opera House.
How we got here
Lisa Holcomb, executive director of the Bastrop Opera House, told community members and local leaders in attendance that she had her eye on the building for the past few years.
“I’d walk past all these red doors, oftentimes to get into the opera house, and I’d be like a little kid at a candy shop,” she said. “I’d be looking into this empty building, knowing we’re out of space, and thinking, ‘Wow, if we just had this building.’”
Holcomb reflected on a conversation she had with Bastrop City Manager Sylvia Carrillo-Trevino nearly two years ago that helped put the project in motion.
“I sat with Sylvia and told her about this dream, and she didn’t laugh at me,” she said.
Carrillo-Trevino emphasized how the expansion was an easy project to support.
“In my opinion, we [were] wasting money on this organization called Visit Bastrop [that took] $1.7 million from us that we could put back into the community,” she said. “[Holcomb’s] ask of $1 million over 10 years is nothing. I said, ‘Let's do it,’ and the council said, ‘Let's do it.’ So here we are, and we’re going to keep doing it.”
Holcomb previously detailed that Phase 1 of the two-phase $2.6 million expansion—funded through a campaign by the opera house and the city of Bastrop—will provide:
- A dedicated space for youth programs
- More rehearsal space for youth programs
- Expanded opportunities for performances and community engagement
- A cultural gathering spot
“This is what community involvement and investment is about,” Carrillo-Trevino said. “Yes, I want to attract visitors here, but community starts at home.”
- Construction began early November
- 711 Spring St., Bastrop
- www.bastropoperahouse.org
