Special to the Observer-Dispatch

BY THE NUMBERS

$130,000: cost  50: parts  35 x 17: feet in diameter vs. height  6,500: pounds  328: LED lights  50: years until bulbs will need to be replaced.

“We cried when we raised it,” said Bob Cohen, owner of Meyda Tiffany, which created the chandelier. “It looks to me like it’s been here since 1927 when the Stanley was originally built.” 

* The round body of the chandelier is decorated by hand-painted blue and red glass diamonds that match the other lighting fixtures in the theater. 

* The lion in the chandelier’s center is based on one from the wall of the theater. 

* The ornate patterns mirror those on the theater’s ceiling. 

* And eight arms stretch from the center, each with a serpent modeled after those on the walls. 

In fact, Meyda Tiffany was picked to create the chandelier because the local company generally uses styles and materials that resemble the Stanley’s original fixtures, Stanley Center for the Arts Executive Director Ron Thiele said. 

Workers finished installing the chandelier Friday after about a week of work. They first practiced putting together the piece at Meyda Tiffany before moving the 50 parts to the Stanley. The final assembly was done on a platform built above the seats. 

“It was like rehearsing for a symphony,” said Antonio Santucci, executive director of the Old Forge division of Meyda Tiffany. Santucci designed and engineered the chandelier. 

The piece now is the world’s largest chandelier hanging from one ceiling fixture, officials said. 

The chandelier is lit by light emitting diodes or LEDs, which means it has no light bulbs and is environmentally friendly, Cohen said. 

The fixture uses a total of 1,120 watts of electricity — equivalent to 11 incandescent bulbs or a single-drip coffee maker, he said. 

But it emits the same amount of light 750 100-watt bulbs would — equivalent to what’s needed to light 17 refrigerators, he said. 

It also will not have to be touched for about 50 years, thanks to the LEDs’ long life expectancy, Cohen said. 

The chandelier was part of a $20 million renovation project at the 80-year-old theater that also included a new marquee, an expanded stage and more dressing rooms. 

The theater has been closed about a year and will reopen Thursday for the St. Petersburg Ballet’s performance of “Romeo and Juliet,” which is presented by Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute’s Great Artists Series. 

Thiele said he hopes audiences think the chandelier fits right in with the building. 
“I love it,” he said.