Boston Opera House facts for kids
Interior view of venue
(view as a 360° interactive panorama) |
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| Former names | B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre (1928–29) RKO Keith's Memorial Theatre (1929–65) Savoy Theatre (1965–80) |
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| Address | 539 Washington St Boston, MA 02111-1718 |
| Owner | Boston Opera House Ventures, LLC |
| Capacity | 2,600 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | October 29, 1928 |
| Closed | 1990–2004 |
| Reopened | July 16, 2004 |
| Architect | Thomas W. Lamb |
| Tenants | |
| Boston Ballet Broadway Across America in Boston |
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The Boston Opera House, also known as the Citizens Bank Opera House, is a cool place in Boston, Massachusetts. It's where you can watch amazing live shows like ballet and Broadway musicals. It even hosts esports events!
This building first opened way back on October 29, 1928. It was originally a fancy movie theater called the B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre. After many years as a movie house, it became a home for opera in 1980. Today, it's the main stage for the Boston Ballet and brings big Broadway shows to Boston.
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A Look Back: The Opera House's Story
The Boston Opera House was first designed as a grand movie theater. It was called the B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre. A famous architect named Thomas W. Lamb created this beautiful building. It was named after Benjamin Franklin Keith, who was a pioneer in vaudeville shows.
Opening as a Movie Palace
Just before the theater opened, a new company called Radio-Keith-Orpheum (RKO) took over. The theater officially opened on October 29, 1928. It showed popular movies and also had live vaudeville acts. Vaudeville was a type of entertainment with many different acts, like comedy, music, and dance.
By 1929, the theater mainly showed only movies. It was one of Boston's top movie theaters through the 1950s. People knew it as RKO Keith's. You could see both "B.F. Keith's" and "RKO Keith's" signs on the building.
Changes Over the Years
In 1965, a company called Sack Theaters bought the building. They changed its name to the Savoy Theater. Later, they added a second, smaller movie screen inside the theater. This was done by building a wall across the stage area.
In 1980, the theater stopped showing movies. It became the home of the Opera Company of Boston. The theater was then renamed the Boston Opera House. The opera company worked hard to fix up the building. They got help from a Boston arts supporter named Susan Timken.
Tough Times and Restoration
The opera company performed there for about ten years. But in 1991, the company faced money problems and had to close. This left the theater empty and without money for repairs.
Because it was unheated, the building suffered a lot of water damage. This hurt the electrical system and the beautiful plaster inside. Many of the opera company's costumes, stored under the damaged roof, were also lost. In 1996, the opera company gave up ownership of the building.
Boston's Mayor Thomas Menino and Senator Edward Kennedy helped save the theater. In 1999, it was given "landmark status." This means it's a special building that needs to be protected.
After some delays, the Clear Channel Company agreed to fix up the theater. There was a legal challenge about expanding the stage into the street. But Mayor Menino helped solve these issues.
A Grand Reopening
The Boston community was very happy about the efforts to restore the Opera House. The damaged inside was repaired in a huge $38 million renovation project. The theater reopened on July 16, 2004. The first show was the famous Broadway musical, The Lion King.
Clear Channel kept the historic theater busy. They brought in many touring Broadway musicals and pop concerts. The agreement with the city said that opera should be performed there at least two weeks a year. However, no opera company has made it their permanent home yet.
The Opera House Today
Today, the theater is owned by Boston Opera House Ventures, LLC. This is a group of local Boston businessmen. The main groups performing there are Broadway Across America, Boston Uprising (an esports team), and the Boston Ballet.
The Boston Ballet has performed their annual show The Nutcracker at the Opera House since 2005. In 2009, the theater officially became the ballet company's permanent home.
See also
- Boston Opera House (1909)
- Benjamin Franklin Keith (1846–1914), namesake of B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre
- RKO Boston Theatre
