With a cloth and a spray bottle in hand, Sandra Wicker began a careful polishing, one by one, of some of the 33,000 crystals that make up the magnificent chandelier that hangs in the Pabst Theater.
The first of a crew of volunteers to arrive at the Downtown theater shortly after dawn Tuesday morning, Wicker braved frigid temperatures to take part in the cleaning of chandelier, which has sparkled in the upper reaches of the theater since being installed in 1976.
“This is history. Whatever it takes,” Wicker said.
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Workers slowly lowered the 1.23-ton chandelier using a hand crank until it came to rest at eye level, slightly above a section of seats in the theater’s lower level.
It is expected to take volunteers at least two days to complete the cleaning.
Volunteers and maintenance staff also checked out the chandelier’s more than 125 lightbulbs, replacing a few that had burned out, while also ensuring that all electrical components are properly functioning.
The chandelier is painstakingly hand polished annually by dedicated volunteers like Wicker, some of whom serve as ushers and take on other roles to support the preservation and upkeep of the theater.
Wicker, a Milwaukee resident, is considered the leader among the volunteers who signed up to clean the chandelier.
Annual cleaning ensures that the chandelier’s full luster is maintained after consistent exposure to dust and show production materials, said Paige Gedlen, director of general operations for the Pabst Theater Group.
“Ideally, we like to do this once a year, but we might push to do it twice a year after we see how this cleaning goes,” Gedlen said. “The chandelier has become a staple of the Pabst and the volunteers have been coming here to clean it for a very long time. The community loves it. It’s just beautiful.”
The lowering of the chandelier puts into perspective its sheer size, Gedlen said.
“It’s amazing to see it when it’s lowered all the way down,” she said. “When it’s up top it’s hard to tell how big it is.”
A cleaning of the chandelier took place last year for the first time since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s in a lot nicer condition than last year,” Wicker said. “There’s dust and then there are the shows that have smoke and other things that adhere to the crystals and leaves a film on them.”
Wicker explained that the chandelier cleaning process is carried out using a soft cloth and an environmentally friendly substance similar to glass cleaner.
“You just go slow and mark off where you are starting,” Wicker said. “You have people working at different levels and on different sides of the chandelier and somebody working underneath.”
Wicker spoke excitedly about spending her time on this day in the theater, which has stood since 1895.
“My criteria for volunteering is that it has to be in Milwaukee and focused on children or the arts. This has pretty much all of that,” Wicker said.
She’s hopeful that the cleaning of the chandelier can be completed by end of day on Wednesday.
“We’re hoping we’ll get it done in two days. It just depends on how many volunteers come in,” Wicker said.
