Piper's Opera House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Piper's Opera House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Piper's Opera House
Location in Nevada
Piper's Opera House
Location in the United States
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| Location | Virginia City, Storey County, Nevada |
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| Built | 1885 |
| NRHP reference No. | 97000217 |
| Added to NRHP | March 21, 1997 |
Piper's Opera House is a very old and famous theater in Virginia City, Nevada. It's a special place where many important shows and events have happened. The building you see today was built in 1885 by a man named John Piper. It replaced two earlier opera houses he owned that were destroyed by fires.
This theater was once a training spot for the famous boxer Gentleman Jim Corbett in 1897. He got ready there for a big fight. Famous writer Mark Twain even spoke on the stage of the first Piper's Opera House in 1866. Later, an actor named Hal Holbrook played Mark Twain on the stage of the current building. Many well-known performers like Lilly Langtry, Al Jolson, and John Philip Sousa also performed here. In 1940, actor Errol Flynn even held an auction on the stage during a live TV show!
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Meet John Piper: The Theater Man
John Piper was an immigrant from Germany who came to Virginia City around 1860. He joined the "Comstock Lode" rush, which was when many people came to Nevada hoping to find gold and silver. Before that, he ran a shop in San Francisco that sold drinks and fruit near theaters.
Piper's Rise to Success
John Piper was very smart with business and also got involved in politics. By the 1870s, he became one of the wealthiest people in Virginia City. He was on the City Council in 1865 and even became the mayor of Virginia City in 1867.
In 1874, Piper represented Storey County in the Nevada Senate. He helped pass a law that allowed the county to collect more taxes from mining. This helped Virginia City pay for important things like railroad construction.
Piper's Theater Network
John Piper was a pioneer in the entertainment business. He helped create "combination companies." These were groups of actors who traveled from one theater to another, bringing plays and variety shows to different towns. Piper built a network of theaters to host these traveling groups. He owned or worked with theaters in places like Reno and Carson City.
Piper's Opera House became one of the best theaters in the West. Many famous actors from San Francisco's top theater, the California Theatre, performed at Piper's. These included stars like Lotta Crabtree and Agnes Booth.
John Piper spent over 30 years in the theater business. He passed away in San Francisco in 1897 at the age of 63.
Piper's Three Opera Houses
John Piper built three different opera houses in Virginia City over the years. Each one had its own story.
The First Opera House (1863–1875)
John Piper first expanded his business in 1863 by buying a large property. This became known as the Piper Business Block. He had a saloon there that was open for a very long time, from 1861 to 1897.
The first opera house was actually opened by another theater owner, Thomas Maguire, in July 1863. It was built with imported sandstone and looked like theaters in San Francisco. A very famous performer named Adah Isaacs Menken once appeared here. She rode a live horse on stage!
John Piper took over this theater in 1867. Mark Twain gave a lecture from its stage in 1866 and again in 1868. Many famous actors who performed Shakespeare, like Junius Brutus Booth Jr (brother of Edwin Booth), also appeared here.
This first opera house, along with most of Virginia City, was destroyed in a huge fire on October 26, 1875. This event is known as the Great Fire. After the fire, Piper quickly started promoting shows at other places to earn money to build a new theater.
The Second Opera House (1878–1883)
Piper built his second opera house for $40,000 in 1878, right next to his saloon. It opened on January 28, 1878. A young, eight-year-old actress named Maude Adams performed here.
David Belasco, who later became a famous theater producer in New York City, worked as a stage manager at this opera house. The second opera house also burned down on March 13, 1883. But John Piper was quick to rebuild!
The Current Opera House (Built 1885)
Just days after the 1883 fire, Piper rented another hall to keep shows going and raise money for a new building. He celebrated the opening of the current opera house on March 6, 1885, with a big party.
This new building was very modern for its time. It had a dance floor, carpets, and hanging balconies. Many famous musical performers like Lilly Langtry, John Philip Sousa, and Al Jolson entertained audiences here.
After John Piper passed away in 1897, his son Edward took over the opera house. Edward continued to run it until he died in 1907. During his time, the theater was updated from gas lighting to electric lighting in 1900.
After Edward's death, his brother-in-law, Louis Zimmer, used the building as a movie theater for silent films. It was also rented for sports, community events, and social gatherings. In the 1920s, the building was declared unsafe.
However, on March 16, 1940, actor Errol Flynn came to Virginia City for the premiere of his new movie, Virginia City. Flynn and the movie's cast gathered at the opera house for a live NBC broadcast. During the show, Flynn auctioned off historical items from Piper's. After the movie premiere, Zimmer ran the venue as a museum until 1960.
After Zimmer's death in 1960, John Piper's great-great-granddaughter, Louise Zimmer Driggs, opened the theater for summer music concerts until 1972. Later, her daughter, Carol Piper Marshall, took over. She opened the venue for entertainment again. Hal Holbrook performed his famous one-man play Mark Twain Tonight! to a sold-out crowd here.
Restoring Piper's Opera House
Louise Zimmer Driggs started working to restore the opera house in the 1960s. In 1997, she sold Piper's to a non-profit group called Piper's Opera House Historic Programs. This group has received grants from the Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs and the National Park Service. These grants have helped make important repairs and strengthen the building, ensuring it can be enjoyed for many more years.
See also
In Spanish: Ópera de Piper para niños
