Central City Opera House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Central City Opera House
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The Opera House in 1982
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 Location in Colorado
Location in the United States
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| Location | Eureka St., Central City, Colorado |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1878 |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000474 |
| Added to NRHP | January 18, 1973 |
The Central City Opera House is a famous building in Central City, Colorado, United States. It was built way back in 1878. For many years, it has been a special place for opera and theater shows. Famous actors and performers from the late 1800s came here. Later, in the early 1900s, it even became a movie theater.
This historic opera house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. This means it's a very important building that needs to be protected.
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Building the Opera House
In 1877, the people of Central City decided they wanted to build Colorado's very first opera house. They formed a group called the Gilpin County Opera House Association to raise money.
A designer from Denver, Robert S. Roeschlaub, created the plans for the building. He used a style called Renaissance Revival. The building is made of stone and brick. It has a cool crescent-shaped balcony and windows with arches.
An artist from San Francisco, John C. Massman, painted a beautiful mural on the ceiling. It looks like the sky in the middle, surrounded by geometric patterns. He also used a special painting trick called trompe-l'œil to make it look like there were real architectural moldings.
Miners and town residents, many of whom were from Wales and Cornwall and loved music, helped build the opera house. A small creek flows under the building through a special channel called a flume. This helps keep the opera house cool during the summer! Electricity was added in 1896, and the building was updated in 1903.
Bringing the Opera House Back to Life
By 1929, the opera house was closed. But a group of people from Denver who loved history and music decided to save it. They formed the Central City Opera House Association.
This group, led by Ida Kruse McFarlane, Edna Chappell, and Anne Evans, worked hard as volunteers. They completely restored the Opera House in 1932.
Later, in the 1980s and 1990s, the whole building was restored again. This included fixing the foundation and upgrading the old lighting system to a modern computer-controlled one. In 1999, the old wooden chairs were replaced with comfy new theater seats.
Shows and Movies at the Opera House
When the Central City Opera House first opened in 1878, it was the most important cultural spot in Colorado. That changed a bit when another opera house, the Tabor Grand Opera House, opened in 1881.
To make more money, the Opera House started showing plays in addition to operas. Many famous actors from the 1800s performed there. These included Joseph Jefferson, Edwin Booth, and Madame Januschek. Even famous entertainers like Buffalo Bill and P. T. Barnum's circus performed at the opera house!
By 1910, Peter MacFarlane, who had helped build and renovate the opera house, became its main owner. He turned it into a movie theater. The Opera House then closed its doors in 1927.
In May 1931, MacFarlane's family gave the opera house to the University of Denver. The Central City Opera House Association then organized its restoration. In the summer of 1932, the famous actress Lillian Gish helped open the newly restored opera house with a play called Camille.
This started a tradition of summer opera and theater festivals at the Central City Opera House. These festivals have become well-known across the country.
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The Central City Opera company was also created in 1932. It is the fifth oldest opera company in the United States! One of its most popular shows is The Ballad of Baby Doe. This opera tells the story of a rich mine owner named Horace Tabor and his second wife, Baby Doe Tabor. It was first performed in 1956.
In 2001, the Central City Opera was the first opera company in the United States to perform Gloriana, an opera about Elizabeth I by Benjamin Britten. They also performed Gioachino Rossini's The Barber of Seville in 2015.
Many talented singers have performed at the opera house, including Samuel Ramey and Beverly Sills. Daniel Rule, who managed the Central City Opera company, once noted that 29 performers from the famous Metropolitan Opera in New York had also performed in Central City.
The Central City Opera House Association owns about 30 old Victorian houses in town. These houses are used to provide places for the singers to stay during the summer festival. Until 2000, all the operas were performed in English. Now, the Central City Opera performs its operas in their original languages.
Today, the opera house still offers several opera shows each summer. It also screens silent and classic films for everyone to enjoy.
See also
