Croswell Opera House facts for kids

Adrian Union Hall-Croswell Opera House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Location in Michigan Show map of Michigan Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	129 East Maumee Street Adrian, Michigan
Built	1866
Architect	H.N. White (1866); John C. Brompton (1919 and 1921)
Part of	Downtown Adrian Commercial District
NRHP reference No.	85000839
Quick facts for kids Significant dates
Added to NRHP	April 18, 1985

The Croswell Opera House is a very old and special theater located in Adrian, Michigan. It is known as the oldest theater in Michigan. It is also one of the oldest theaters in the United States that has been open continuously. This means it has been putting on shows for a very long time without stopping!

The theater was named a Michigan Historic Site on March 2, 1976. Later, on April 18, 1985, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. On this list, it is called the Adrian Union Hall-Croswell Opera House.

History of the Croswell Opera House

Early Days of the Theater

The Croswell Opera House first opened in 1866. It was originally called the Adrian Union Hall. Money for the theater came from the Adrian Union Hall Company. One of the people who invested in it was Charles Croswell, who later became the governor of Michigan.

The very first event at the hall was a talk on March 19, 1866. It was given by John Bartholomew Gough, who spoke about avoiding alcohol.

In its early years, the hall was used for many different things.

• It hosted concerts and interesting talks.
• Festivals and plays were also held there.
• Both traveling groups and local amateur actors performed.

Many famous people visited the opera house.

• Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton spoke there.
• Frederick Douglass, a famous speaker, also visited.
• Other well-known visitors included Thomas Nast and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
• Performers like Edwin Booth and John Philip Sousa appeared.
• Even Buffalo Bill Cody performed in the 1800s.
• In the early 1900s, famous actors like Mrs. Patrick Campbell and Maude Adams came.

The theater has had a few different names. For its first few years, local newspapers called it "New Hall." Around 1869, people started calling it the Opera House.

In 1881, Charles Croswell, after being governor, bought most of the shares in the company. He asked his son, Charles Croswell Jr., to manage the theater. At this time, it became known as Croswell's Opera House. Even after his father passed away in 1886, the name "Croswell Opera House" stuck.

The building also changed over time.

• A new lobby was added in 1882.
• The first two electric lights were installed in 1885.
• By 1895, the entire theater had electric lights.
• In 1896, the stage was made bigger.
• The roof above the stage was raised to fit more complex shows.

The Movie Theater Years

In the early 1900s, movie theaters became very popular. The Croswell had to compete with them. In 1919, Harry Angell and Robert Codd bought the theater. They made two big changes.

• In 1919, the Croswell was changed into a movie house.
• A long lobby, like an arcade, was added to the front.
• A special room for showing movies (a projection booth) was built.

Then, in 1921, they made more changes.

• The old balcony was removed and a new one was built.
• The entire inside of the theater was updated.
• This is when the Croswell started to look like it does today.

In 1927, a company called W.S. Butterfield Theatres started running the Croswell. They operated it for the next 40 years.

• In 1929, the theater was set up for sound.
• The first "talking picture" shown was Weary River.

During World War II, the Croswell helped raise money for the war.

• They held "war bond premieres" for popular new films.
• Instead of buying a ticket, people had to buy a war bond to get in.
• The theater raised over $1 million for the war effort!
• They also held toy drives for charity and special movie showings for children.

By the 1960s, the Croswell faced new challenges. More people were going to drive-in theaters or watching TV. A large theater with only one screen was hard to keep running. In 1967, the Butterfield company decided not to continue their lease. The owner, Harry Angell, put the building up for sale. The last movie shown by Butterfield was The Sound of Music on September 16, 1967.

Bringing Live Theater Back

When Butterfield left, the Croswell was in danger of being torn down. But Charlie Hickman, a local business owner, bought the building. A new group was formed to run the theater as a nonprofit organization.

In 1968, the Croswell started its first summer season of live theater again.

• The first play was Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park.
• Other shows that summer included Summer and Smoke and Oliver!.

That fall, a new group called the Croswell Players was created. They continued to offer live theater during the fall, winter, and spring. Eventually, the summer and winter theater programs joined together.

In 1970, the theater brought back a tradition of hosting famous speakers. The "Town Hall series" ran until 1996.

• Speakers included Gloria Steinem and Helen Thomas.
• Other well-known people like Charlton Heston also spoke there.

In May 2015, a big plan was announced to update the theater. This plan included:

• Creating new public areas.
• Adding more restrooms.
• Making improvements for people with disabilities (ADA).
• Upgrading electrical systems and other parts of the building.

Construction began in 2016, and the theater reopened in May 2017. The 2017 season was special because it marked the Croswell's 50th summer as a theater that produces its own shows.

How the Croswell Looks (Architecture)

The Croswell was first designed by Horatio Nelson White. When it was being built in 1865, a newspaper writer visited and described it. The building was large and made of brick. It was 115 feet deep and 64 feet wide. The main hall was very tall, about 32 feet high.

The main audience room was set back from the street. You reached it through an arched walkway. On each side of the walkway were stores. The audience room was 80 feet deep and 63 feet wide. It had a balcony on three sides with three rows of seats. It could comfortably seat 1,500 people.

The balcony was special because it supported itself using strong beams and iron ties. This meant it didn't need columns or big brackets to hold it up. The stage was large, about 30 by 32 feet. It was set up for plays with scenery and dressing rooms. The way the scenery moved was also new, using machinery to raise and lower pieces smoothly.

The basement had furnaces for heating and a large storage room. There was also a big dining room. The ceiling and walls were planned to be decorated with beautiful paintings (frescoes). The design was meant to be elegant and tasteful, not too flashy.

Local historian R.I. Bonner later said the Croswell was designed like Wieting Hall in Syracuse.

The Croswell's look changed several times in the 1800s.

• A 14-foot addition was built onto the front in 1882.
• The stage roof was raised in 1896 for more complex scenery.

The big renovations in 1919 and 1921 were led by architect J.C. Brompton. He also designed the Riviera Theatre in Three Rivers.

• In 1919, a projection booth and a long arcade-style lobby were added to the front. Before this, people had to walk down an alley and wait outside.
• In 1921, the old horseshoe-shaped balcony was removed and replaced. The entire inside of the theater was redesigned.

Some special features of the theater include:

• Fancy plaster decorations all around the audience area.
• Two tall "organ towers" on each side of the stage with decorative urns.
• Large panels on the walls, similar to those in Brompton's Riviera Theatre.

From 1921 until the 1970s, the inside of the Croswell didn't change much.

• In 1976, an addition was built at the back for a scene shop and offices.
• In 1978 and 1979, two buildings next to the Croswell's lobby were bought. These became space for rehearsals, more offices, and an art gallery.

The theater was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

What the Croswell Does Today

The Croswell is a "producing theater." This means it creates and puts on its own shows. It is open all year. It stages about six to eight full-scale musicals each year. It also puts on plays, children's theater, and occasional concerts.

The Croswell Opera House and Fine Arts Association owns the theater. This is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Jere Righter has been the artistic director since 2009.

Musical Theater

Most of the shows at the Croswell are musicals. For all of its full-length musicals, the theater uses a live orchestra. They do not use recorded music.

New and Original Shows

Besides well-known shows, the Croswell has also put on several brand new plays and musicals.

• A Dragon's Tale, a musical by Michael and Betsy Lackey (1985).
• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a musical by Don Wilson and Dave Zabriskie (2004).
• Breakfast at Frannie's, a play by Terry Hissong (2009). This play was named one of Writer's Digest magazine's top plays of the year.
• Obsession, a musical version of the Frankenstein story, by Michael and Betsy Lackey (2011).
• The Family Digs, a play by Terry Hissong (2017).

Educational Programs

The Croswell offers many programs for learning.

• Summer camps for performing and technical theater.
• An all-area high school musical.
• Paid summer internships for college students.
• A variety of performances just for children.

Famous People Who Started at the Croswell

Some theater professionals who have a background at the Croswell include:

• Tobin Ost, a scenic designer. He was nominated for a Tony Award in 2012 for his work on Newsies.
• Leah Crocetto, an opera singer. She won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2010.
• Shonn Wiley, a member of the Chicago cast of Jersey Boys. He is also a founding member of Under the Streetlamp.