The Abbeville Opera House, also known as the Abbeville Opera House and Municipal Office Building is an historic building located in
Abbeville, South Carolina
Abbeville is a city and county seat of Abbeville County, in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is located west of Columbia and south of Greenville. Its population was 5,237 at the 2010 census. Settled by French Huguenot settlers, it was ...
.
Designed by
William Augustus Edwards
William Augustus Edwards, also known as William A. Edwards (December 8, 1866 – March 30, 1939) was an Atlanta-based American architect renowned for the educational buildings, courthouses and other public and private buildings that he desig ...
of Edwards and Wilson, it was opened in 1904 and dedicated in 1908.
[ On July 1, 1970, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.][
According to the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism the theater has received the South Carolina Governor's Travel Award for Tourism and was designated as the Official Rural Drama State Theatre of South Carolina. It is included in the Abbeville Historic District.South Carolina Department of Archives and History page on Abbeville Opera House]
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History
At the turn of the 20th century there were many "road companies" producing shows in New York City. Once the production was assembled, the show traveled throughout the country. One of the more popular tours went from New York to Richmond to Atlanta. For a number of years, Abbeville was an overnight stop for the entire touring company. Several members of the community decided that if this area had a facility, since the travelling companies were coming through the area anyway, Abbeville could sponsor some of these touring productions.
On October 1, 1908, what was then the Abbeville District dedicated a new Abbeville County Courthouse and City Hall. The grand old theatre now known as the Abbeville Opera House was a part of that splendid pair of buildings "equal in beauty of architecture and modern conveniences of any in the state," according to regional newspaper accounts of the day. From that time on, all the "greats and near greats" played on the magnificent Opera House stage. Vaudeville was in its "heyday" as was Abbeville and the Abbeville Opera House.
Today, most people who visit the historic Abbeville Opera House see a building that
represents a microcosm of the history of Abbeville since the turn-of-the-century. Efforts toward preservation and renewal of Abbeville and the renewal of
the Abbeville Opera House began some thirty years ago. The refurbished theatre operates year-round. The
218 newly refurbished seats face a stage. The balcony has
92 seats and the turn of the 20th century boxes seat up to 6 people in each of the
four box seats.
References
External links
Abbeville Opera House
Greater Abbeville Information Network
{{National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina
Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina
Buildings and structures in Abbeville County, South Carolina
William Augustus Edwards buildings
Theatres in South Carolina
Tourist attractions in Abbeville County, South Carolina
National Register of Historic Places in Abbeville County, South Carolina
Opera houses on the National Register of Historic Places
Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina
Opera houses in South Carolina