Grand Opera House (Brooklyn)

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The Grand Opera House was a theatre in Brooklyn, New York that was in operation from 1881 through 1920. [1] The theatre was demolished in 1924 along with several adjacent buildings to make room for the A. I. Namm & Son Department Store. [2]

Contents

History

The Grand Opera House was built by the firm of Barry, Fay & Lewis; [3] a partnership which consisted of theatrical impresario Benjamin Lewis (died 1905), [4] and Irish comedic actors Hugo Fay and Billy Barry. [2] The theater was constructed at 14 Elm Place, [1] on the west side of the street just south of Fulton Ave. [3] It was built on the former site of the Congregational Church on Elm Pl. which had been destroyed by fire in June 1880. [5]

The Grand Opera House was inaugurated on Monday, November 14, 1881, with a performance of Muldoon's Picnic. [6] [1] Seating 2,000 people, [1] at the time it opened it was the second largest theatre in Brooklyn; with only the Brooklyn Academy of Music surpassing its size. [3] The theatre was purchased by the firm of Hyde and Benham in 1882. [2] In 1907 it was acquired by Klaw and Erlanger for their chain of theatres, and the following year it became part of The Shubert Organization's chain of theatres. [7] The building remained in operation as a theatre until 1920. [1] The theatre, along with several adjacent buildings, was demolished in 1924 for the purposes of building the A. I. Namm & Son Department Store. [2]

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References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Del Valle, p. 184
  2. 1 2 3 4 Suzanne Spellen (September 22, 2015). "Past and Present: Downtown Brooklyn's Grand Opera House". Brownstoner.
  3. 1 2 3 Harrison, p. 21
  4. "Benjamin Lewis". The Standard Union . January 20, 1905. p. 2.
  5. Del Valle, p. 185
  6. "Opening of the Grand Opera House". The Brooklyn Union . November 12, 1881. p. 3.
  7. Del Valle, p. 186-187

Bibliography

40°41′23.5″N73°59′5″W / 40.689861°N 73.98472°W / 40.689861; -73.98472