Newberry Opera House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Newberry Opera House
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Newberry Opera House
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 Location in South Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Location | Boyce and Nance Sts., Newberry, South Carolina |
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| Area | 0.8 acres (0.32 ha) |
| Built | 1882 |
| Architect | G. L. Norrman |
| Architectural style | Gothic |
| NRHP reference No. | 69000171 |
| Added to NRHP | December 03, 1969 |
The Newberry Opera House is a special old building in Newberry, South Carolina. It has been completely fixed up and is now a busy place where you can see live shows. Many popular artists, traveling theater groups, and local organizations perform here. This historic building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969, which means it's recognized as an important part of history.
The building was designed in a beautiful French Gothic style. When it first opened, the ground floor was used by the town government. It had offices, a jail, and even a spot for the fire company's engine! The top floor was made to be a theater with all the necessary rooms. For many years, it hosted famous touring groups and performers. Later, it also became a movie theater, but it showed its last movie in 1952. Starting in 1998, the Opera House was carefully restored. A new section was added to make it even better for full theater productions.
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The Opera House: A Look Back in Time
The Newberry Opera House was built with two main purposes: to entertain people and to serve as the city's government center. The building was finished in 1881 and officially opened in 1882. It had a tall clock tower, about 130 feet (40 m) high, with a cool garfish weather vane on top.
What Was Inside?
The first floor was planned to hold the fire engine, rooms for the town council, an office for the clerk, a police officer's area, and three jail cells. The second floor had a large hall with 426 seats, measuring about 53 by 52 feet (16 m). This floor also had a ticket office, a "green room" (a waiting area for performers), a cloakroom, and three dressing rooms. The stage had special drop curtains and seven different scenes or sets that could be used. One of these old landscape scenes even survived until the late 1900s!
A Hub for Entertainment
The Opera House quickly became famous as "the entertainment center of the Midlands." It hosted many different kinds of shows. You could see plays from New York City, minstrel and variety shows, famous singers, and interesting lecturers. Magicians, mind readers, unique acts, and even boxing matches took place here. It wasn't just for professional performers; the community also used it for meetings, dances, college graduations, and musicals. Some very famous artists, like Edwin Booth and the John Barrymore family, performed on its stage.
From Stage to Screen
Movies eventually came to the Opera House. The first films shown there were silent movies. Later, in the 1920s, "Talkies" were introduced. These early sound movies used a phonograph record to play the sound. Slowly, movies started to replace the live stage shows. In the 1920s, the Opera House was updated to work better as a movie theater.
In 1952, after showing movies for many years, the Opera House closed as a movie theater. During the time it was a movie theater, the original horseshoe-shaped balcony was made smaller. Also, a new outdoor stairway was added for people to use when entering. Later, in the mid-1960s, public places like this became open to everyone.
Saving a Landmark
By 1959, some people thought about tearing the building down. However, the hall was still used for community events, and the city government still used the first floor. In 1969, the Newberry Historical Society and other community groups worked hard to save the Opera House. Because of their efforts, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
After the City of Newberry moved out of the building in the mid-1990s, a group called the Newberry Opera House Foundation was created. They wanted to see if the building could be restored. They realized there weren't many places for performances in the Midlands area. So, they talked to experts and decided to go ahead with a restoration plan. This foundation has since raised money and managed the building's operations, leasing it from the city.
Bringing it Back to Life
The outside of the building and its windows were fixed up in 1994. Then, the inside renovation began in 1996. This included restoring the beautiful horseshoe-shaped balcony to its original design. An extra 10,000 square feet (930 m2) was added to the building. This new space made it a full theatrical production facility, with a new loading dock, an elevator, a second stage for rehearsals, and more dressing rooms. The total cost to restore and expand the Opera House was about $5.5 million. The architects for this amazing project were Craig Gaulden Davis from Greenville, South Carolina.
Today, the Newberry Opera House is a very busy place! Many different theatrical touring companies and live performers have graced its stage, from famous musicians like Willie Nelson to the Newberry Ballet Guild and opera companies. It can hold up to 426 people. It's also used for performances by Newberry College and other local groups, keeping the arts alive in the community.
See also
