Detroit Opera House
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The Detroit Opera House, opened on January 22, 1922 as the Capitol Theater, is the current venue for all Michigan Opera Theatre productions and other events. The Opera House was designed by C. Howard Crane, the same man who designed other Detroit theatres such as the State Theatre, Fox Theater and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's Orchestra Hall noted for its acoustic perfection.
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[edit] History
Opened at the corner of Broadway and Madison in 1922 as the Capitol Theater, the Opera House was the first of several performance venues built around Detroit's Grand Circus Park. When it opened, the Opera House was the fifth-largest theater in the world, being able to hold up to 4,250 guests. The Capitol Theater's name was changed to the Paramount Theater in 1929, and again changed in 1934 to the Broadway Capitol Theater. Artists that performed in the building's first few decades included jazz legends Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. A minor restoration ensued in the 1960s, and it became the Grand Circus Theater, a 3,367 seat movie house. After closing in 1978, reopening in 1981 and closing again in 1985, Grand Circus Theater would finally be adopted in 1988 by the formerly peripatetic Michigan Opera Theater, becoming known by its current name, the Detroit Opera House. It is configured with seating for 2,700. The building underwent an extensive restoration in the 2000s. Recently, the opera house has been annually hosting five opera productions, five dance productions from touring companies and a small number of other musical and comedy events.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Hauser, Michael and Marianne Weldon (2006). Downtown Detroit's Movie Palaces (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-4102-8.
- Hill, Eric J. and John Gallagher (2002). AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3120-3.
- Meyer, Katherine Mattingly and Martin C.P. McElroy with Introduction by W. Hawkins Ferry, Hon A.I.A. (1980). Detroit Architecture A.I.A. Guide Revised Edition. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1651-4.
- Sharoff, Robert (2005). American City: Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3270-6.
[edit] External links
Fox Theatre - State Theatre - Orchestra Hall - Detroit Masonic Temple - Detroit Film Theatre - Detroit Opera House - Fisher Theatre - Max M. Fisher Music Center - Gem Theatre - Century Theatre - City Theatre - Hilberry Theatre - Bonstelle Theatre - Studio Theatre - Redford Theatre - Michigan Theater - Eastown Theatre
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