Lunenburg Opera House facts for kids
The Lunenburg Opera House in 2010
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| Former names | Capitol Theatre (c. 1940 – c. 1970) |
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| Address | 290 Lincoln Street Lunenburg, Nova Scotia B0J 2C0 Canada |
| Coordinates | 44°22′37.4″N 64°18′32.9″W / 44.377056°N 64.309139°W |
| Seating type | Standing room |
| Construction | |
| Built | 20 November 1907 |
| Opened | January 1909 |
The Lunenburg Opera House is a special building in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada. Lunenburg is famous because it's a World Heritage Site recognized by UNESCO. This means it's a place of great importance to the world.
The land for the Opera House was bought in 1907. A group called the Rising Sun Lodge of the International Order of Odd Fellows purchased it. They started building the Opera House that same year. The building was finished in 1908, and it opened for its first concert. For many years, it was a place for live shows and music, like a vaudeville concert hall. But in the 1940s, it changed into a movie theater called the Capitol Theatre.
A New Chapter for the Opera House
The Capitol Theatre showed movies until the 1970s. In the mid-1970s, a man named Jack Sheriff bought the building. He was a former English professor and loved promoting the arts in Nova Scotia. After Jack Sheriff passed away, a group called the Folk Harbour Society worked with other local organizations. They started a plan to buy the building, fix it up, and use it again.
Bringing the Building Back to Life
The big restoration of the Lunenburg Opera House began in 2006. A businessman named Farley Blackman bought it then. He heard rumors that the building might be turned into apartments. He wanted it to be used for its original purpose: the arts.
The renovation took about ten years. During this time, many things were fixed or replaced. They put on a new roof and new siding. New windows, doors, and insulation were added. Inside, new seating was installed. Farley Blackman believed the building should be a place for people to experience art. He wanted to bring the world of arts to Lunenburg.
The Opera House Today
In 2019, the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Society bought the Opera House. They received financial help from the Fordi Family Foundation. The Lunenburg Opera House officially reopened on October 5, 2019.
The Folk Harbour Society has exciting plans for the building. They want to use it as an arts center. It will also be a main venue for the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival. Plus, other groups can rent the space for their own events. It's a place where art and music can thrive once more!
