Grand Opera House (Dubuque, Iowa)
Grand Opera House | |
NRHP reference No. | 02001029[1] |
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Added to NRHP | September 20, 2002 |
The Grand Opera House is an opera house located at the corner of 8th and Iowa Streets in Dubuque, Iowa that was built in 1890. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.[1][2]
It was deemed important as a "national treasure". The theatre has the largest of all stages ever in Dubuque, and is Dubuque's only surviving opera house. It is architecturally important as an early
In 2015 performance events at the theater marked its 125th anniversary.
History
Early years
The Grand Opera House was built in 1889 and 1890. The Grand Opera House, Inc. was established by William Lester Bradley, Sr. and five other people in 1890 to operate this and other theaters in Dubuque. The opera house would cost $65,000 to build. At the time of its construction, the Grand Opera House was the largest theater to be built in Dubuque. It had a seating capacity of 1,100 and a huge stage that measured 42 feet (13 m) from front to back. Initially the opera house was connected by a tunnel to a house next door in which people changed costumes.
Originally the opening night performance was scheduled to occur on August 15, 1890 until it was realized that August 15 was also the
For the next 40 years there were over 2,600 live productions shown at the Grand.
Movies
In 1915
When the Grand was converted into a movie theater, most of the movie theaters were located in downtown Dubuque. By 1972 it was the only surviving downtown movie theater when it was sold to Richard Davis of Des Moines. In 1976 Davis sold the theater to the Dubinsky Brothers. The Grand continued to show movies for several more years.
Return of Live Theater
By the closing years of the 20th century, the Barn Community Theater had purchased the vacant and much-deteriorated Grand Opera House. This marked the end of the Grand's days as a movie theater. In 1986 a production of "Tintypes" was shown at the theater. This marked the first time in over 57 years that a live production was shown at the Grand.
In recent years the Grand Opera House has undergone a number of renovations. This included the restoration of the original facade was accomplished by removing the marquee and metal siding that was placed over it in the 1960s. The interior of the theater was renovated as well.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b James E. Jacobsen (July 24, 2002). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Grand Opera House / Grand Theater". National Park Service. Retrieved July 13, 2016. with 17 photos