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 is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

, 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 theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoriums can be found in entertainment venues, community halls, and t ...

. The construction cost was $100,000.History of the Grand
, The Grand website, accessed July 31, 2010 It was designed in Second Empire style by Baltimore architect Thomas Dixon and incorporates symbolism from

Freemasonry Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

into the cast-iron facade. Its central

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

contains an

Eye of Providence The Eye of Providence or All-Seeing Eye is a symbol depicting an eye, often enclosed in a triangle and surrounded by rays of light or a halo, intended to represent Providence, as the eye watches over the workers of mankind. A well-known exampl ...

Wilmington Grand Opera House auditorium before performance

Historically, the Grand hosted a variety of operas, symphonies,

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

melodramas,

minstrel show The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of theater developed in the early 19th century. The shows were performed by mostly white actors wearing blackface makeup for the purpose of portraying racial stereotypes of Afr ...

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 which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

, 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 music, Romantic era known primarily for American military March (music), marches. He is known as "The March King" or th ...

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

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

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 #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

, partnering with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, 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 Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

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 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 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 Cinemas and movie theaters in Delaware Former cinemas in the United States 1871 establishments in Delaware Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Delaware Music of Wilmington, Delaware

See also

References

External links