Sandwich city officials are learning more about what repairs need to be made to the roof of the historic Sandwich Opera House.

Built in 1878, the Sandwich Opera House is on the National Register of Historic Places. During the Aug. 21 Sandwich City Council meeting, Sandwich City Administrator Geoff Penman talked to the City Council about the need for a roof evaluation.

“We’re looking at a company with experience in looking at and working on historical buildings come out and assess what the situation is with the Opera House,” Penman said after the meeting.

“We’ve got to figure out the scope of the work.”

—  Sandwich City Administrator Geoff Penman

Penman noted the last time any extensive renovation work was done on the Sandwich Opera House was in the 1980s.

“I know we’ve had problems with leaks in the past and certainly those have been patched,” he said. “We’ve done what we could to try and make those right.”

Penman said that after 40 years, the roof of the Sandwich Opera House has probably reached the end of its useful life.

“It’s time to really look at it seriously and figure out the right way to go forward,” he said. “It’s too important of a building to the community and the area to not take care of it properly.”

The city is looking to pay Renaissance Historic Exteriors $9,200 to do a roof evaluation. As far as when any work is done on the building, that will depend on what the evaluation reveals.

“We’ve got to figure out the scope of the work,” Penman said.

The Grecian-style Sandwich Opera House was built for $12,000 in 1878 by Enos Doan. The building was renovated in 1895 and again from 1984 to 1986 after years of neglect. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.