Elkader Opera House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Elkader Opera House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | 207 N. Main St. Elkader, Iowa |
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| Built | 1903 |
| Architect | Shick & Roth |
| Part of | Elkader Downtown Historic District (ID12000095) |
| NRHP reference No. | 76000748 |
| Added to NRHP | October 8, 1976 |
The Elkader Opera House is a really old and cool building in Elkader, Iowa, USA. It's a special place because it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's important to American history and culture! It was added to this list in 1976. Later, in 2012, it also became part of the Elkader Downtown Historic District.
The Opera House Story
The Elkader Opera House first opened its doors on November 27, 1903. It was built after an earlier opera house on the same spot burned down the year before. The very first show performed here was "The Governor's Son" by George M. Cohan. The Cohan Brothers themselves performed it!
When it first opened, the Opera House was part of a big theater route between Chicago and Minneapolis. Famous performers like Ed Wynn even appeared on its stage.
Many Uses Over the Years
This building has been used for so many different things! It has been a community room, a place for dances, and even a roller skating rink. It also housed a library, a fire station, and city offices. Today, it's home to the Keystone Barbershop Chorus and the Opera House Players. Elkader's City Hall is still located there too.
In 1949, the front of the building was changed a lot to make room for fire trucks. They added two large double doors for the trucks.
Restoring Its Beauty
People started a project in 1963 to make the main performance hall look like it did when it first opened. Then, in 2004, the whole building got a big makeover. These efforts helped keep the Opera House beautiful and ready for new performances.
Building Design
The Elkader Opera House is a three-story building made of brick. It has a balanced front, which means both sides look similar. The middle part of the building has three round-top windows. These windows have fancy brick designs above and below them.
The sides of the building also have special brickwork near the roofline. Large brick columns, called pilasters, separate the different sections of the building. There's also a separate entrance on the side that was made for the City Hall offices.
