The Grand Opera House, also known as The Grand or Masonic Hall and Grand Theater, is a 1,208-seat theater for the performing arts in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

, United States. The four-story building was built in 1871 by the Delaware Grand Lodge of Masons to serve as a Masonic Temple and

auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, community ...

. The construction cost was $100,000.History of the Grand
, The Grand website, accessed July 31, 2010 It was designed in

Second Empire Second Empire may refer to: * Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783 * Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396) * Second French Empire (1852–1870) ** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...

style by Baltimore architect Thomas Dixon and incorporates symbolism from

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

into the cast-iron facade. Its central

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedimen ...

contains an

Eye of Providence The Eye of Providence (or the All-Seeing Eye of God) is a symbol that depicts an eye, often enclosed in a triangle and surrounded by Ray (optics), rays of light or Glory (optical phenomenon), glory, meant to represent divine providence, whereby ...

. Historically, the Grand hosted a variety of operas, symphonies, Victorian melodramas,

minstrel show The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of racist theatrical entertainment developed in the early 19th century. Each show consisted of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music performances that depicted people spe ...

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

, and other exhibitions, including performers such as

Ethel Barrymore Ethel Barrymore (born Ethel Mae Blythe; August 15, 1879 – June 18, 1959) was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors. Barrymore was a stage, screen and radio actress whose career spanned six decades, and was regarde ...

, "Buffalo Bill" Cody and "Texas Jack" Omohundro, 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 ...

. For most of the twentieth century the Grand was operated exclusively as a movie theater, run by

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...

from 1930 and eventually closing in 1967. It was reopened four years later and returned to programming emphasizing

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

, partnering with the

Delaware Symphony Orchestra The Delaware Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an orchestra based in the Wilmington, Delaware. It was founded in 1929 by the merger of the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra with the Wilmington Music School. The orchestra performs for 55,000 people annual ...

, OperaDelaware, and the First State Ballet Theatre. It was 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 1972 with assertions of both architectural and historical significance. It was argued it is "one of the finest remaining examples of 19th century cast iron architecture in America" and that it has important association with events and persons in Delaware's history. and In 1973, management was turned over to a non-profit organization and the building underwent extensive restoration, which was completed in 1976.

References

External links

Grand Opera websiteFirst State Ballet websiteOperaDelaware websiteDelaware Symphony Orchestra website
*
Grand Opera House - Wilmington
Wanda Kaluza, video {{Authority control Ballet venues Buildings and structures in Wilmington, Delaware Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Delaware Dance venues in the United States Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Delaware Former Masonic Buildings in Delaware Historic American Buildings Survey in Delaware Masonic buildings completed in 1871 Music venues completed in 1871 Music venues in Delaware National Register of Historic Places in Wilmington, Delaware Opera houses in Delaware Opera houses on the National Register of Historic Places Performing arts centers in Delaware Second Empire architecture in Delaware Cast-iron architecture in the United States Theatres completed in 1871 Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Delaware Thomas Dixon (architect) buildings Tourist attractions in Wilmington, Delaware

See also

References

External links