Detroit Opera House facts for kids
Detroit Opera House overlooks Grand Circus Park.
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| Former names | Grand Circus Theater (1960s–1985) Broadway Capitol Theater (1934–1960s) Paramount Theater (1929–1934) Capitol Theater (1922–1929) |
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| Location | 1526 Broadway Street Detroit, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 42°20′11″N 83°2′55″W / 42.33639°N 83.04861°W |
| Type | Opera |
| Capacity | 2,700 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | January 22, 1922 |
| Renovated | 1996 |
| Website | |
| Detroit Opera House official site: https://detroitopera.org/ | |
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Detroit Opera House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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| Part of | Grand Circus Park Historic District (ID83000894) |
| Designated CP | February 28, 1983 |
The Detroit Opera House is a beautiful building in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It's a special place where you can watch amazing shows like opera and dance. This theater has 2,700 seats. It is home to the Detroit Opera company. The famous architect C. Howard Crane designed it. He also designed other well-known theaters in Detroit. The Detroit Opera House first opened its doors on January 22, 1922.
The building was carefully restored in 1996. This big project made sure the theater kept its original beauty.
Contents
History of the Opera House
Opera has been performed in Detroit for many years. Before the current Detroit Opera House, there were other opera venues. These included the Old Detroit Opera House, which was open from 1869 to 1963. Another was the New Detroit Opera House, which operated from 1886 to 1928.
The current Detroit Opera House opened in 1922. It was first called the Capitol Theatre. It was one of the first big performance halls built near Detroit's Grand Circus Park Historic District. When it first opened, the Capitol Theatre was one of the largest movie theaters in the world. It could seat about 3,500 people.
Name Changes Over Time
The theater changed its name a few times. In 1929, it became the Paramount Theater. Then, in 1934, it was renamed the Broadway Capitol Theater. For many years, it showed movies and hosted live shows. Famous jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington performed there.
Later, the theater mainly showed movies. In the 1960s, it was called the Grand Circus Theatre. It closed in 1978. After a small fire in 1985, it closed again.
Becoming the Detroit Opera House
In 1988, the Michigan Opera Theatre bought the building. They decided to bring it back to life. They spent a lot of time and effort restoring it. They also made the stage bigger. After this big renovation, the building was renamed the Detroit Opera House.
It reopened in 1996 with a special event. The famous opera singer Luciano Pavarotti was there. Since 1996, the Detroit Opera House has been a busy place. It hosts five opera shows each year. It also welcomes five dance companies on tour. Many other musical and comedy events happen there too.
The Detroit Opera House was also shown in a movie. It appeared in the 2012 documentary called Detropia.
Images for kids
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The Old Detroit Opera House in 1906.
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The Old Detroit Opera House (behind the fountain) on Campus Martius in 1907.
See also
In Spanish: Detroit Opera House para niños
