The Clifton Opera House — shown above — and nearby Clifton Union Schoolhouse are set to receive major refurbishments via state infrastructure funding. Renovations are slated to conclude by December 2026. (Photo by Reilly Dixon)
Clifton buildings get makeovers
- Published: May 22, 2025
The day after students from The Antioch School took their final bows for their annual school play on April 26, the doors to the Clifton Opera House closed to the public. Those doors likely won’t open again until late 2026 — but when they do, the 132-year-old building will have undergone a significant makeover.
Renovations are now underway at the Clifton Opera House and the nearby 153-year-old Clifton Union Schoolhouse, both projects funded by the state’s One Time Strategic Community Investment Fund, or OTSCIF. The program was funded as part of House Bill 2, an infrastructure bill passed by both the Ohio House and Senate in February 2024 and later signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine in June 2024.
OTSCIF allocates $717.8 million from the state’s general revenue fund to a wide range of regional and local community projects. The Village of Clifton was awarded $1.9 million for the renovation of the opera house and $3.9 million for the schoolhouse.
For the Village of Clifton, being granted nearly $6 million to revive two of its most historic buildings is an unexpected — nearly miraculous — boon.
“We’re a village of 155 people, and we have an operating budget of $90,000,” Clifton Village Council President Anthony Satariano told the News last week. “We can’t even comprehend that kind of money — so when they said, ‘Here’s some to fix it up,’ we said, ‘Thank you!’”
Council member Paula Lazorski said the Village has applied for grant funding from other state programs, including the Ohio Humanities, to update the opera house in the past, but has been routinely turned down. For that reason, the OTSCIF award was something of a surprise; the Village of Clifton didn’t apply for the funds, but instead had the renovations projects recommended by Gov. Mike DeWine.
The Governor called Lazorski last year, explained the parameters of OTSCIF and expressed a desire to visit Clifton and tour both the opera house and schoolhouse.
“We had several visits from [Gov. DeWine’s] group — the architect and attorney from the State Department and Sen. Bob Hackett — they all came down en masse,” Lazorski said. “We really didn’t know whether we would get anything or not — but when [Gov. DeWine] said, ‘Write up a wish list,’ boy, I was on it.”
The Clifton Union Schoolhouse — which sits on the line between Clark and Greene counties, its square-footage divided between each — was built in 1872 and served Clifton students until 1962. In recent years, the building has housed a community auditorium and a private art studio. Lazorski said that community volunteers have done their best to keep the schoolhouse in relative working order over the years, but the OTSCIF award will likely be something of a game-changer for the historic building, replacing windows, repairing damage and ensuring that the building is structurally sound.
“They said it will last another 100 years,” she said.
The Clifton Opera House is no stranger to volunteer efforts, either — volunteers, Lazorski said, are the lifeblood of the venue’s operations, and they perform a “labor of love” keeping doors open for its regular weekend bluegrass jam sessions and performances. As beloved as the opera house is to its volunteers, audiences and returning performers — including Yellow Springs musicians and young thespians at YS Schools — the building has many needs.
“The stage leans down; we have doors that don’t close; the basement — ‘the dungeon,’ as I call it — needs to be completely rehabbed,” Lazorski said.
Stage repairs, new plumbing and electric, updated ADA accessibility, an elevator to the auditorium’s balcony, a new stage lift, repairs to “the dungeon” and cosmetic updates inside and out are slated to be completed — though Lazorski said one frequent performer told her they would “miss that leaning stage.”
What performers and audiences won’t have to miss is the auditorium’s iconic hand-painted backdrop mural, painted by Sharon Benedict in 2011, which depicts Clifton through the seasons. The backdrop, Lazorski said, as well as the opera house’s lighting fixtures, will be preserved and remain in the auditorium.
The state’s projected date for finishing work at both buildings is December 2026; until then, Clifton Opera House will continue to hold its bluegrass jams and concerts just a block away at Clifton Presbyterian Church.
Council President Satariano said that, looking ahead, the Village of Clifton aims to capitalize on the improvements at both buildings with a goal of making them “self-sustaining.”
“The opera house is going to continue to have bigger and better shows, so that’ll help [it] pay for itself,” he said. “With the schoolhouse, we’re in idea mode — what can we put in there? Separate shops or rentals — something that pays toward the insurance and the utilities.”
At the same time, Clifton has long leased its former firehouse to Miami Township Fire-Rescue for storage; the Township and Clifton recently agreed to end the lease. Clifton will, for the time being, use the building as storage while renovations are underway, but Satariano said the Village hopes to use it in the future as a community meeting space and home for the Clifton Preservation Society.
All of these goals, he said, recognize House Bill 331, approved last year and enacted this April, which outlines new guidelines for dissolving Ohio villages. According to the new law, all Ohio villages will be evaluated every 10 years following the federal census to determine if they should be considered for dissolution.
“We feel we need to show we’re good stewards of our community and that these buildings will basically be funding themselves,” Satariano said.
Having moved to the village in 1962 when she was a toddler and living there off and on for much of her life, Lazorski said she’s seen Clifton through a number of ages and stages. Despite its size, Lazorski said, Clifton remains a vibrant place to live. During her interview with the News, she was taking a break from planning for the annual Clifton Gorge Music and Arts Festival, slated for Aug. 22 and 23 this year.
“Our festival is really, really growing,” she said. “But we also have the Clifton Mill lights, a Fourth of July potluck, a Halloween hot dog roast and hayrides. Clifton is a great community, and we’re excited that these historic buildings are being preserved.”
Elsewhere in Greene County, the OTSCIF program has awarded $12 million to Cedarville Opera House; $3.5 million for future development of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base; $1 million for a future sensitive compartmented information facility in Fairborn near Wright-Patt; $1 million to Beavercreek’s Spring House Park; $500,000 for upgrades at the Wright State University Archives; $175,000 for an OhioMeansJobs accessibility project; and $150,000 for expansion and upgrades at Ohio Veterans’ Children’s Home in Xenia.
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