An example of detail work recreated by technology at the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center for the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center is shown in this undated photo.
An example of detail work recreated by technology at the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center for the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center is shown in this undated photo.
Mike Sutton, a machinist at the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center in Huntington, holds up a vent cover recreated on behalf of the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center, in this undated photo.
An example of detail work recreated by technology at the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center for the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center is shown in this undated photo.
MAMC | Courtesy photo
HUNTINGTON — The Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center commissioned the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center earlier this year to recreate detailed elements of the theater that were either lost or too damaged to be repaired during its ongoing renovations.
Huntington’s historic Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center closed Dec. 14, 2023, in preparation for a top-to-bottom renovation of the nearly 100-year-old, Spanish Baroque-style theater designed by famed Scottish-American architect Thomas Lamb.
The Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center in downtown Huntington is pictured on May 21, 2025.
HD Media file photo
Since then, new seats and carpeting have been installed, its electrical system upgraded, stage replaced, the bathrooms and dressing rooms remodeled, the basement waterproofed and many architectural features repaired or replaced. That’s all part of phase one in the three-phase, more than $34 million project.
Some of the architectural elements, both utilitarian and decorative, had been damaged or lost. Replacing them was a challenge because the original manufacturers are out of business and blueprints do not exist, MAMC said in a news release.
That’s where the MAMC says it was called upon to assist. Engineers and machinists were enlisted to reverse engineer a variety of elements, such as steel and brass floor vents, decorative end caps, light shades, finials for railings and ornamentation for the marquee. First, existing parts had to be scanned to create three-dimensional computer drawings that could be used to manufacture replacements.
This project was, and continues to be, a team effort. Everyone from interns, Marshall University engineering students, machinists and staff have been involved in the reserve engineering, manufacturing and design process of these pieces.
They’ve recreated more than 500 pieces in total. In many cases, multiple copies of the same pieces were needed.
Various types of advanced equipment were then deployed to manufacture replicas. Metal elements were cut using MAMC’s waterjet and laser-cutting technology. In some cases elements were bent into their precise shapes on a hydraulic press brake. Several types of 3D printing technology were used as well.
“Some of the reproductions presented more challenges than others, but because of the broad expertise of our staff and the variety of technology at our fingertips, we were able to produce every part we were asked to create,†said Tanner Drown, MAMC business development specialist who oversaw the project.
The specialized engineering services cost about $10,000.
'You can't hardly tell what is original and what's printed'
Mike Sutton, a machinist at the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center in Huntington, holds up a vent cover recreated on behalf of the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center, in this undated photo.
MAMC | Courtesy photo
Railing finials and floor vents under the seating in the main auditorium were reproduced on a Markforge 3D printer that uses carbon-infusion fiber to produce lightweight but very strong replacements.
“If it hadn’t been pointed out to me, the little differences, you can't hardly tell what is original and what's printed. So over 100 years you lose little detail work in a space as ornate as the theater. And so when the restoration comes around, it's all of those little details that really matter in being able to show a really good before and after picture,†said David Miller, the theater’s new executive director.
Miller has incorporated MAMC-created items into his tours.
“It's a fun challenge on a tour, to be able to show people something original and something that's been reproduced and virtually not be able to tell the difference,†he said.
An example of detail work recreated by technology at the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center for the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center is shown in this undated photo.
MAMC | Courtesy photo
Light covers in the lobby presented a special challenge, MAMC said. To replicate the dragon-themed decorative element, MAMC design engineer Chis Shaffer scanned an identical cover, took pictures to match the unique color, then overlaid the photos on a computer-aided design file to match the original's unique hues. Finally, he printed the cover on MAMC’s Fortus J850 3D printer, which is capable of printing in full color, producing subtle shades and gradients.
“It really has helped a lot being able to work with the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center, to have them local,†said Gary Cooper, operations manager for the Keith-Albee, in the release. “It’s been a great working relationship, to have MAMC come onsite to see items needing to be reproduced then filling the expertise of getting those items made for a 97-year-old building where a lot of the items in the theater are no longer made by anyone in the world.â€
Cooper said patrons once again will get to marvel at the historic theater’s unique elements as they appeared on opening day in 1928, thanks to MAMC.
MAMC Director Derek Scarbro said in the release he knew his team of manufacturing specialists was capable of tackling the challenges presented by the Keith-Albee renovations, and he is proud of their hard work and ingenuity.
“To know that we played a small part in restoring the glory of this treasure is immensely gratifying,†Scarbro said in the release.
