For almost three years, the restoration of the Rialto Theater in Deer Lodge has been at the center of a major volunteer effort.

Now, the historic landmark is more than halfway to the end of its restoration project.  

Crews are hard at work, installing new sheet rock around the building, a final task in phase three of the four-phase project, president of the Rialto Community Theater, Steve Owens, said.

In order to open again, Owens said the walls must be finished and painted. Plumbing and electrical fixtures must be installed, as well as seating and flooring. But as of right now, the framework of the Rialto's unique architecture has been successfully rebuilt.

"Now, we're getting ready to put some concrete on the auditorium floor and just keep working slower than we expected but a little bit all the time. We've had crews come in the evening that put all the floor trusses in the lobby and concessions and the bathrooms. The high school shop students built the steps for the balcony here. The high school art students and other volunteers painted the ceiling," Owens said.

Aside from volunteer work, Owens credits the success to an outpour of generosity through financial donations, which have so far funded the entire restoration project.

"We've raised over $2 million so far since the fire. So, it's been almost three years, but the donations continue to come in. We get memorials every day, and we've gotten some grants lately. In the past few weeks, we've gotten two for $10,000 and two for $5,000 from different parts of the country. And we're behind schedule, but we're making progress every day," Owens said.

If you would like to contribute to the Rialto effort, you can send your donation to P.O. Box 874, Deer Lodge, Montana 59722.