A Recent APPI Solution

Historic Chandeliers Get A Welcome Lift

When Portland’s beautifully restored Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall opened in 1984, a pair of hand crafted, irreplaceable chandeliers were left in place to serve as reminders of the hall’s storied past.

These magnificent crystal lights have the unique distinction of having witnessed each of the hundreds, if not thousands, of live performances that have entertained theatre-goers since its opening as the Portland Public Theater in 1928.

Suspended at 60 feet above the floor and weighing in at 350 pounds, the only way workers are able to clean these treasures and change their light bulbs is to lower them to ground level. Unfortunately, the two original hand cranked hoists that made this possible reached the end of their usable lives in the early 1990’s and were taken out of service due to safety issues.

After years of going without proper cleaning or light bulb replacement, the maintenance staff at “The Schnitz” was given the go-ahead to replace the worn-out hoists with two Columbia A/C electric powered units from Allied Power Products, Inc. in Beaverton, OR.

Tom Bugas, assistant operator of the theater says, “These new hoists have made a difficult and tedious job easy to perform.  Our crew loves them and they worked so well we installed eight of them in the Winningstad Theatre to replace units that had been in place for several years but were not performing satisfactorily.”

With the retrofit of these compact hoists, the lights can now be safely lowered on a regular basis for maintenance and certification by a stage rigging inspector.

Portland Center for Performing Arts Executive Director, Robyn Williams, says, “It’s wonderful to have these cherished theater icons fully functional again.  Not only do they provide an eye popping welcome to our attendees, they hint at the magnificent art occurring on our stage."