Stuart's Opera House facts for kids
 |
|
| Address | 52 Public Square, Nelsonville, Ohio United States |
|---|---|
| Type | Live event venue |
| Capacity | 395 |
| Opened | 1879 |
| Website | |
|
Stuart's Opera House
|
|
 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
|
|
| NRHP reference No. | 78002007 |
| Added to NRHP | 1978-12-29 |
Stuart's Opera House is a special old building in Nelsonville, Ohio. It is listed on the National Register because it is so important. Built in 1879, it has been a place for live shows and music for a very long time. Today, it still hosts many exciting events.
Contents
History
How It Started
The story of Stuart's Opera House begins with George Stuart. He loved show business! George used to own a showboat that traveled through Ohio's canals. He had a group of performers who put on shows on his boat. Sadly, his showboat sank in 1869. Soon after, he started building his new opera house.
Workers finished building the Opera House in 1879. This was when Nelsonville was growing fast. The town was booming because of the new rail system. This system helped send coal from the area to factories in the north. Having an Opera House showed that Nelsonville was a well-established town.
The building quickly became a central part of town life. It was a place for fun and entertainment. But it was also a gathering spot for community events. People held benefits for local groups there. High school graduations took place in the Opera House. Even Sunday school classes met there when they were too big for the church.
The Opera House brought in many famous acts of that time. It stayed important to Nelsonville until it closed in 1924. One reason it closed was that people started to prefer movies. Also, the coal boom in the area was slowing down.
A New Beginning
Stuart's Opera House stayed closed for many years. Then, in the 1970s, a group called the Hocking Valley Museum of Theatrical History bought the building. Their goal was to fix it up and make it a working theater again. They also wanted it to be a place for learning.
But their hopes almost ended on March 24, 1980. The building caught fire! Luckily, people decided that Stuart's should still be restored. After a lot of hard work and money, Stuart's was finally ready to welcome audiences once more.
Nelsonville Music Festival
Stuart's Opera House puts on the yearly Nelsonville Music Festival. They also host over 75 other events each year. These events include live music, theater shows, movies, and educational programs.
Festival Stages
The Nelsonville Music Festival has several cool stages. There is a main stage for big acts. The Porch Stage is very pretty. The small No-Fi Cabin features artists who perform without electricity. There is also a FREE Boxcar Stage. This stage uses an old train car as its backdrop and a mural.
Past Performers
Many famous artists have played at the Nelsonville Music Festival. Some of them include Wilco, The Flaming Lips, Willie Nelson, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Ween, Loretta Lynn, Gillian Welch, John Prine, The Avett Brothers, They Might Be Giants, The Decemberists, Randy Newman, Merle Haggard, Iron & Wine, Yo La Tengo, George Jones, Emmylou Harris, and Courtney Barnett.
