Barre Opera House facts for kids
|
Barre City Hall and Opera House
|
|
|
U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
|
 |
|
 Location in Vermont
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 6 N. Main St., Barre, Vermont |
|---|---|
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1899 |
| Built by | Mason & Company |
| Architect | Adams, George G. |
| Part of | Barre Downtown Historic District (ID73000198) |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000198 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
|
| Added to NRHP | January 18, 1973 |
| Designated CP | September 4, 1979 |
The Barre Opera House is a special place for performances in Barre, Vermont, USA. It's inside a historic building called the Barre City Hall and Opera House. This building is located at 6 North Main Street in downtown Barre.
The building was finished in 1899. It was built after the old city hall and opera house burned down in 1898. Since it was built, the upper floors have been used for many different shows and events. The building is so important that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Contents
Discovering the Barre City Hall Building
The Barre City Hall building stands near the main business area of the city. It's on the west side of Vermont City Park. This park is shaped like a triangle, formed by North Main, Church, and Washington Streets.
The building has four stories and is made of brick and stone. It was designed in a style called Beaux Arts, which means it has a grand and formal look. A key part of its front is a large arch that goes up three stories. This arch has columns on the sides and a pointed roof design at the top.
Inside this arch, you'll find the main entrance. It has fancy ironwork and windows above it. Above these windows, there's a beautiful iron balcony that stretches across the arch. The very top of the arch has a big, half-round window. The first floor of the building holds the city offices. The top three floors are where the opera house is located.
The city hall was designed by George Adams, a famous architect from New Hampshire. He was known for designing many public buildings in New England.
The Story of the Barre Opera House
Early Days and Famous Visitors
When the opera house first opened, it was a very busy place. It hosted many different events like plays, speeches, traveling shows, and concerts. Even politicians came to speak there.
Many famous people visited the stage of the Barre Opera House. These included Helen Keller, who was a writer and activist, and John Philip Sousa, a famous bandleader. In 1912, two people who wanted to be president, William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt, gave speeches from the outside balcony.
Changes and Closing in the Mid-1900s
During the Great Depression and World War II, the opera house mostly showed movies. But as other movie theaters opened in Barre, fewer people came to the opera house. It eventually closed its doors in January 1944. The building then stayed empty for almost 40 years.
Reopening and Modern Updates
After being closed for so long, the Barre Opera House was in bad shape. Windows were broken, and most of the seats were gone. The heating system didn't work. But with a lot of help from the community, the opera house reopened in October 1982.
For ten years after it reopened, the opera house slowly got better. New curtains were added, along with stage lights and a working heating system. In 1993, people raised money for a huge renovation. This project added an elevator and new balcony seating. The number of seats increased to 649. This was more than half of the original number of seats from 1899. These renovations have cost almost 2 million dollars over the years.
The Barre Opera House Today
Today, the Barre Opera House is a very popular place. More than 20,000 people come to events there every year.
Many well-known artists have performed at the opera house recently. For example, in the 2013–2014 season, groups like the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and singers like Mavis Staples performed there.
The opera house is known for its amazing sound quality. It's also the main place where the Vermont Symphony Orchestra performs.
The Barre Opera House was even mentioned in a National Geographic magazine article about towns in America. The article said that even though Barre is a working-class city, it really supports the arts. It mentioned how people packed the opera house for a performance of Carmen and also for the Miss Vermont pageant. You can even rent the stage for a kid's piano recital!
See also
