The Metropolitan Opera House (MOH) is an historic

opera house An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically for o ...

Iowa Falls, Iowa Iowa Falls is a city in Hardin County, Iowa, United States. Iowa Falls is the home of Ellsworth Community College. It is also a regional transportation center, located along U.S. Routes 20 and 65 and the Canadian National and Union Pacific Rail ...

, United States. It was individually listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1975. Metropolitan Opera House (Iowa Falls, Iowa) at the National Register of Historic Places
/ref> In 2012 it was included as a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distri ...

in the

Washington Avenue Commercial Historic District The Washington Avenue Commercial Historic District is a nationally recognized Historic districts in the United States, historic district located in Iowa Falls, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 201 ...

The Metropolitan Opera House was designed by the

Omeyer & Thori Omeyer & Thori was an architectural partnership of Diedrik A. Omeyer (1850-1907) and Martin P. Thori (1864-1905). The two were immigrants from Norway. Headquartered in St Paul, a number of the firm's and its individual partners' works are listed ...

architecture firm and opened with its first performance on December 27, 1899, with an audience numbering over 800, later proclaimed as the "biggest social event in the history of Iowa Falls." The house hosted notable artists including Otis Skinner,

Walker Whiteside Walker Whiteside (1869 – 1942) was an American actor who had played Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Shylock while still in his teens. Early life Walker Whiteside was born on March 16, 1869, near the confluence of the Wabash and Eel rivers ...

, and

John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to dist ...

and his band. Between 1930–54, the house presented films and served as a venue for concerts and drama and dance productions of Ellsworth College and Iowa Falls High School. The theatre was purchased by John P. Whitesell of Iowa Falls in June 2013 and reopened after an upgrade to digital projectors.

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

-nominated actor

Hugh Jackman Hugh Michael Jackman (born 12 October 1968) is an Australian actor. Beginning in theatre and television, he landed his breakthrough role as James "Logan" Howlett / Wolverine in the 20th Century Fox ''X-Men'' film series (2000–2017), a role ...

appeared at The Met's grand re-opening with his family on September 20, 2013. He introduced two of his films — ''

Prisoners A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

'' and '' The Wolverine''.Hugh Jackman visit
/ref>

References

External links

Metropolitan Opera House
- official site {{NRHP in Hardin County, Iowa Music venues completed in 1899 Buildings and structures in Hardin County, Iowa Opera houses in Iowa Renaissance Revival architecture in Iowa Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Theatres completed in 1899 1899 establishments in Iowa Tourist attractions in Hardin County, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Hardin County, Iowa Opera houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Iowa Omeyer & Thori buildings