Lexington Opera House facts for kids
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| Address | 401 West Short Street |
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| Location | Lexington, Kentucky |
| Coordinates | 38°03′00″N 84°29′56″W / 38.0499°N 84.4990°W |
| Owner | Lexington Center Corporation |
| Type | theatre |
| Capacity | 1,000 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | July 19, 1887 |
| Architect | Oscar Cobb |
The Lexington Opera House is a cool old theatre in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. It's at 401 West Short Street. This theatre was built in 1886 after a fire destroyed the old one. A famous architect named Oscar Cobb designed it. The Opera House is important for its history and amazing design. It's even on the National Register of Historic Places.
Today, the Lexington Center Corporation owns and runs the Opera House. It hosts many different shows. You can see ballets, operas, and shows just for kids. There are also family shows, comedy acts, and music concerts. It even brings in big Broadway tours. The Lexington Opera House is special. It's one of only 14 theatres in the U.S. built before 1900 that is still open. Plus, it has fewer than 1,000 seats.
A Look Back in Time
The Lexington Opera House first opened on July 19, 1887. The Cincinnati Symphony played the first concert. In August, the Lizzie Evans Stock Company performed "Our Angel." Soon, the Opera House became very popular. People from all over the region came to see shows.
Many famous performers came to the Opera House. These included Al Jolson, W.C. Fields, and Will Rogers. Even the famous magician Harry Houdini performed there. Other stars like Lillian Russell and Sarah Bernhardt also visited.
Some shows were very grand and detailed. In 1890, a show called "Henley Regatta" flooded the stage. Actors performed in rowboats! In 1893, "Country Circus" had 100 animals. They even had a mile-long parade. For the show "Ben Hur," the stage was changed. This allowed for an exciting chariot race.
The Opera House was a big success for about 25 years. But times started to change. New things like cars, radio, and movies became popular. People stopped going to live shows as much. This made it hard for the Opera House to make money.
The last live show was "The Arabian" in 1926. After that, the theatre became a movie house. They put in a false ceiling. This covered the upper parts of the theatre. The special box seats were also covered up. Sometimes, vaudeville and burlesque shows still played until 1936.
Saving the Opera House
The Harry Schwartz family believed in the Opera House. They turned it into a movie house. Price Coomer started working for Harry Schwartz in 1930. He bought the theatre in 1955. Coomer fixed up the building. This helped save it from being torn down.
In 1961, the Opera House was almost demolished. This was part of a city project. Luckily, it was not torn down. Only a windbreak that protected it was removed.
In 1968, a big windstorm hit. The false ceiling inside the theatre collapsed. This made city leaders think about tearing it down again. Then in 1973, another windstorm caused the roof to collapse. The theatre looked very old and broken. It was only showing older movies at that time.
People started campaigns to save the Opera House. They wanted everyone to know its history. Building experts looked at the theatre. They said it would cost $2.5 million to fix it. Building a new theatre would cost $7 million. So, fixing it was cheaper!
The city bought the Opera House. It became part of the Lexington Center Corporation. Money to help fix it came from the Opera House Fund, Inc. This fund was started by kind people. They were William T. Young, and George and Linda Carey.
The Opera House Fund, Inc. started in 1974. It's a non-profit group. They help the Lexington Center Corporation support the Opera House. They bring in professional touring artists. These artists perform on the Broadway Live and Variety Live series. The fund also helps local performing arts groups.
Inside the Building
Oscar Cobb from Chicago designed the three-story building. A company called H.L. Rowe built it. The stone work was done by Henry A. Tandy. His company also worked on other historic buildings in the city. One example is the Fayette County Courthouse.
The theatre first held 1,250 people. It had two balconies. There were also two special box seats on each side of the stage. The theatre had two main parts. One was a large auditorium. The other was the stage area.
The Opera House had amazing designs. The 596 seats were covered in fancy leather and velvet. Each box seat had its own hat rack. It also had a place for canes and umbrellas. There were 250 gaslights. There were 37 sets of scenery. A special drop curtain could be lowered.
The stage was very modern for its time. It had new things like the Edison light board. It also had trap doors. These allowed animals to be used in shows! To prevent fires, the Opera House had water pipes. These could flood the stage if needed.
In 1975, work began to fix up the Opera House. The Lexington Center Corporation led this project. They removed the false ceiling. The two balconies were opened again. The box seats were restored. The stage was rebuilt with modern equipment. But the old Edison light board was kept. It was important for history. The renovation finished in 1976.
Now, the theatre has less than 1,000 seats. About 85,000 people visit each year. It is one of the smallest theatres in the country. But it still hosts big touring Broadway shows! The Opera House has a unique 19th-century feel. It's a special place in downtown Lexington.
