Central City Opera House

	Central City Opera House
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	The Opera House in 1982
	Show map of ColoradoShow map of the United StatesShow all
Location	Eureka St., Central City, Colorado
Coordinates	39°48′4″N 105°30′47″W / 39.80111°N 105.51306°WCoordinates: 39°48′4″N 105°30′47″W / 39.80111°N 105.51306°W
Area	1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built	1878
Architectural style	Renaissance Revival
NRHP reference No.	73000474
Added to NRHP	January 18, 1973

The Central City Opera House is located in the Central City/Black Hawk Historic District in Central City, Colorado, United States. It was constructed in 1878.^[3] It has offered operatic and theatrical productions that drew prominent actors and performers in the late 19th-century, and in the early 20th-century it was a motion picture theatre.

The opera house was designated to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.^[2]^[a]

Construction and subsequent renovations[]

In 1877, the citizens of Central City formed the Gilpin County Opera House Association to fundraise for the state's first opera house.^[2]^[6] Denver architect Robert S. Roeschlaub designed the Renaissance Revival stone and brick structure,^[2] with a crescent-shaped balcony and arched windows.^[7] San Francisco artist painted a mural to the ceiling with a central medallion that features the sky, surrounded by a large geometrical patter, and trompe-l'œil architectural moldings.^[2]

It was built by Welsh and Cornish miners and town residents, who had a tradition of music.^[8]^[9] The opera house is kept cool during the summer by a creek flows that through a flume under the building.^[7] Electricity was installed in 1896 and it was renovated, without structural changes in 1903.^[2]

In 1929 a dedicated band of Denver preservationists and music lovers formed the Central City Opera House Association to perform a renovation and re-open the opera house. It was a volunteer-driven effort led by Ida Kruse McFarlane, Edna Chappell and Anne Evans that resulted in an extensive restoration of the Opera House in 1932.^[6] In the 1980s and 1990s, the entire structure was restored, including the foundation and replacement of the 1920-era lighting relic by a computerized lighting system. In 1999, wooden chairs were replaced with plush new theater seating.^{[citation needed]}

Productions and cinema[]

Portrait of Edwin Booth by John Singer Sargent, 1890, which hung at The Players clubhouse. Now in the collection of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art.

With the 1878 grand opening, Central City was Colorado's cultural capital until another opera house, Tabor Grand Opera House, opened in 1881. The Opera House was not turning a profit and it expanded its repertoire to include theatre productions to increase its revenues. They featured prominent 19th-century actors such as Joseph Jefferson, Edwin Booth, Madame Januschek and Fannie Barlow.^[2] In addition, Buffalo Bill performed here as well as P. T. Barnum's circus.^[6]^[10]

Peter MacFarlane, who was a contractor for the original construction and the contractor for the 1903 renovation, became the principal owner of the Opera House by 1910, when he opened it as a motion picture theatre. The Opera House closed in 1927.^[2]

Lillian Gish, 1921

The opera house was donated to the University of Denver in May 1931 by MacFarlane's heirs and restoration was organized by the newly formed Central City Opera House Association.^[2] The summer of 1932, actress Lillian Gish opened the newly restored opera house with Camille.^[2]^[6] It began a tradition of offering summer opera and theater festivals, which have become nationally recognized.^[2]

Gioachino Rossini's The Barber of Seville, performed by the Central City Opera November 14 - December 5, 2015)

The Central City Opera company was also formed that year.^[11] It is fifth the oldest opera company in the United States.^[8] One of its popular performances is The Ballad of Baby Doe, which tells the story of wealthy mine-owner Horace Tabor and his second wife Baby Doe Tabor. It was first performed in 1956.^[7] In 2001, it was the first opera company in the United States to produce Gloriana of Elizabeth I by Benjamin Britten. Gioachino Rossini's The Barber of Seville was performed by the Central City Opera in 2015.^[12]

Samuel Ramey and Beverly Sills have performed at the opera house. It was noted by Daniel Rule, who managed the Central City Opera company, that 29 of the performers of the Metropolitan Opera in New York had performed at Central City. The Central City Opera House Association owns 30 Victorian houses in town that are used during the summer to board singers who perform at the opera house.^[7] Up until 2000 all of the operas were performed in English. Central City Opera now performs all of its operas in their original languages.^[7]

The opera house continues to offer several operatic productions each summer and screenings of silent and classic films.^[12]^[13]

Popular culture[]

It was a film location for the movie The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox starring Goldie Hawn and George Segal.^[10]

It was also referenced in Chapter 9 "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac, mentioning the opera Fidelio and interactions with the performers in a wild night in Central City as the western opera world intersected with the Beat Generation.

Notes[]

^ There are some sources that state that the opera house was made a National Historic Landmark in 1973.^[4] It is the entire Central City/Black Hawk Historic District that is on the list of National Historic Landmarks in Colorado.^[5]

References[]

^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Liston E. Leyendecker (January 13, 1973). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Central City Opera House". National Park Service. Retrieved June 15, 2018. With accompanying photos
^ Leggett, Ann (August 18, 2009). Insiders' Guide® to Boulder and Rocky Mountain National Park. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-7627-5624-7.
^ Fisher, James (April 16, 2015). Historical Dictionary of American Theater: Beginnings. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-8108-7833-4.
^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination" (pdf). National Park Service. July 1990.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Robert L. Brown (1994). Central City and Gilpin County: Then and Now. Caxton Press. pp. 173–179. ISBN 978-0-87004-363-5.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Arsone, Sarah (June 10, 1990). "Grand Opera In a Colorado". The New York Times. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Loomis, Christine (August 1, 2016). Colorado Off the Beaten Path®: Discover Your Fun. Globe Pequot Press. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-4930-2634-0.
^ Satterthwaite, Ann (February 23, 2016). Local Glories: Opera Houses on Main Street, Where Art and Community Meet. Oxford University Press. p. 207. ISBN 978-0-19-939256-8.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Heim, Michael (2007). Exploring Colorado Highways: Trip Trivia. Exploring America's Highway. p. 81. ISBN 978-0-9777301-0-0.
^ Smith, Craig A. (May 1, 2015). A Vision of Voices: John Crosby and the Santa Fe Opera. University of New Mexico Press. p. PT62. ISBN 978-0-8263-5576-8.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Leggett, Ann (August 18, 2009). Insiders' Guide® to Boulder and Rocky Mountain National Park. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 172–173. ISBN 978-0-7627-5624-7.
^ Arts America: Enjoying the Best Art Museums, Theater, Classical Music, Opera, Jazz, Dance, Film, and Summer Festivals in America. Huntington Press Inc. March 17, 2014. p. 354. ISBN 978-1-935396-04-8.

External links[]

[6] There are some sources that state that the opera house was made a National Historic Landmark in 1973.^[4] It is the entire Central City/Black Hawk Historic District that is on the list of National Historic Landmarks in Colorado.^[5]

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.

[nrhpdoc-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Liston E. Leyendecker (January 13, 1973). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Central City Opera House". National Park Service. Retrieved June 15, 2018. With accompanying photos

[Leggett-3] Leggett, Ann (August 18, 2009). Insiders' Guide® to Boulder and Rocky Mountain National Park. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-7627-5624-7.

[Fisher2015-4] Fisher, James (April 16, 2015). Historical Dictionary of American Theater: Beginnings. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-8108-7833-4.

[nrhpinv-5] "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination" (pdf). National Park Service. July 1990.

[Brown_pp._173–179-7] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Robert L. Brown (1994). Central City and Gilpin County: Then and Now. Caxton Press. pp. 173–179. ISBN 978-0-87004-363-5.

[NYT-8] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Arsone, Sarah (June 10, 1990). "Grand Opera In a Colorado". The New York Times. Retrieved June 16, 2018.

[Loomis-9] Jump up to: ^a ^b Loomis, Christine (August 1, 2016). Colorado Off the Beaten Path®: Discover Your Fun. Globe Pequot Press. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-4930-2634-0.

[10] Satterthwaite, Ann (February 23, 2016). Local Glories: Opera Houses on Main Street, Where Art and Community Meet. Oxford University Press. p. 207. ISBN 978-0-19-939256-8.

[Heim-11] Jump up to: ^a ^b Heim, Michael (2007). Exploring Colorado Highways: Trip Trivia. Exploring America's Highway. p. 81. ISBN 978-0-9777301-0-0.

[12] Smith, Craig A. (May 1, 2015). A Vision of Voices: John Crosby and the Santa Fe Opera. University of New Mexico Press. p. PT62. ISBN 978-0-8263-5576-8.

[Leggett_pp._172–173-13] Jump up to: ^a ^b Leggett, Ann (August 18, 2009). Insiders' Guide® to Boulder and Rocky Mountain National Park. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 172–173. ISBN 978-0-7627-5624-7.

[14] Arts America: Enjoying the Best Art Museums, Theater, Classical Music, Opera, Jazz, Dance, Film, and Summer Festivals in America. Huntington Press Inc. March 17, 2014. p. 354. ISBN 978-1-935396-04-8.

[2]

[1]

[3]

[a]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[4]

[5]

show v t State of Colorado
Denver (capital)
Topics	Bibliography Index Outline Colleges Coloradans Elections Federal lands Geography Government Highways Historic places History Images Indian reservations Law Military Mountains Municipalities Museums National Forests National Parks Paleontology Prehistoric sites Prehistory Protected areas Railroads Rivers Scenic & Historic Byways Slavery Symbols Timeline Tourist attractions Trails Transportation Wildernesses
Society	Crime Culture Demographics Economy Education Politics Religion Sports
Cities	Alamosa Arvada Aspen Aurora Black Hawk Boulder Brighton Broomfield Brush Burlington Cañon City Castle Pines Centennial Central City Cherry Hills Village Colorado Springs Commerce City Cortez Craig Cripple Creek Dacono Delta Denver Durango Edgewater Englewood Evans Federal Heights Florence Fort Collins Fort Lupton Fort Morgan Fountain Fruita Glendale Glenwood Springs Golden Grand Junction Greeley Greenwood Village Gunnison Holyoke Idaho Springs La Junta Lafayette Lakewood Lamar Las Animas Leadville Littleton Lone Tree Longmont Louisville Loveland Manitou Springs Monte Vista Montrose Northglenn Ouray Pueblo Rifle Rocky Ford Salida Sheridan Steamboat Springs Sterling Thornton Trinidad Victor Walsenburg Westminster Wheat Ridge Woodland Park Wray Yuma
Counties	Adams Alamosa Arapahoe Archuleta Baca Bent Boulder Broomfield Chaffee Cheyenne Clear Creek Conejos Costilla Crowley Custer Delta Denver Dolores Douglas Eagle El Paso Elbert Fremont Garfield Gilpin Grand Gunnison Hinsdale Huerfano Jackson Jefferson Kiowa Kit Carson La Plata Lake Larimer Las Animas Lincoln Logan Mesa Mineral Moffat Montezuma Montrose Morgan Otero Ouray Park Phillips Pitkin Prowers Pueblo Rio Blanco Rio Grande Routt Saguache San Juan San Miguel Sedgwick Summit Teller Washington Weld Yuma
Regions	Central Colorado Colorado Eastern Plains Colorado Mineral Belt Colorado Piedmont Colorado Plateau Colorado Western Slope Denver Metropolitan Area Four Corners Region Front Range Urban Corridor High Plains North Central Colorado Urban Area Northwestern Colorado San Luis Valley South-Central Colorado South Central Colorado Urban Area Southern Rocky Mountains Southwestern Colorado
Colorado portal

show v t U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Topics	Architectural style categories Contributing property Historic district History of the National Register of Historic Places Keeper of the Register National Park Service Property types
Lists by state	List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state: Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Lists by insular areas	American Samoa Guam Minor Outlying Islands Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico Virgin Islands
Lists by associated state	Federated States of Micronesia Marshall Islands Palau
Other areas	District of Columbia Morocco
Related	National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 Historic Preservation Fund List of jails and prisons on the National Register of Historic Places University and college buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places portal Category

Central City Opera House

Contents

Construction and subsequent renovations[]

Productions and cinema[]

Popular culture[]

See also[]

Notes[]

References[]

Further reading[]

External links[]