Boston Opera House

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Two Boston, Massachusetts theaters have been known as the Boston Opera House. The first was a purpose-built opera house opened in 1909 and demolished in 1958. The second, a former movie palace, was operated by the Opera Company of Boston from 1980 to 1991. After suffering severe damage while closed, the theater was completely renovated and reopened in 2004.

Contents 1 Boston Opera House (1909) 2 Boston Opera House (1980) 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Boston Opera House (1909)

The first Boston Opera House was built in 1909 on Huntington Ave. in Boston, Massachusetts. ^[1] It was described as a "perfect jewel-box of an opera house" and despite its smallish size, was the venue for many of the local opera companies, as well as regular visits by the Metropolitan Opera. It was just two blocks from Boston Symphony Hall, and one block from the New England Conservatory of Music.

During the Great Depression and World War II, the Opera House fell into disuse and disrepair. ^[1] In 1957, the Boston Redevelopment Authority, acting on behalf of the Northeastern University Trustees, declared the Opera House unsafe, and scheduled it for demolition. The local opera community demonstrated and petitioned the BRA to spare their only venue, but the order stood. The solidly built building was gutted in 1958, but proved difficult to demolish. Two demolition companies gave up in frustration, as the opera house resisted their efforts. Only after a new and larger wrecking derrick arrived, did the walls fall. A brick rescued from the demolished theater by noted WGBH-FM announcer Ron Della Chiesa is preserved in the theater's archives at Northeastern University. Speare Hall, a Northeastern University dormitory, now stands on the site at the corner of Opera Place and Huntington Ave.^[1]

[edit] Boston Opera House (1980)

The current Boston Opera House was originally built as the B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre, a lavish movie theater in the Keith-Albee chain, located at 538 Washington St. The Keith's Memorial was designed by the prominent theater architect Thomas W. Lamb in one of his most elaborate designs. The theater was dedicated to the vaudeville pioneer B.F. Keith and opened October 29, 1928 presenting first run films along with live vaudeville.^[2][3] By 1929 the theater, now operated by RKO Theatres, had converted to showing only films and remained a leading Boston movie showcase through the 1950s. In the 1970s, the Sack Theaters company owned the theater, operating it under the name Savoy Theater. Sack operated two screens in the house: one in the original auditorium, and a second smaller cinema in the stage space, separated by a masonry wall built across the proscenium.^[4]

In 1980, after closing as a movie house, the theater became the home of opera director Sarah Caldwell's Opera Company of Boston and was renamed the Boston Opera House. The theater was acquired and renovated by the opera company with the help of Boston arts patron Susan Timken.^[5] After a decade of innovative opera productions at the house, Caldwell's company collapsed due to financial troubles in 1991. Having previously produced opera since 1958 in rented theaters, the company was not financially prepared to cope with the substantial costs of upkeep for the large theater which had been poorly maintained for decades. The company's failure left the theater dark and without funds to maintain it.^[6]

Unheated, the building fell prey to extensive water damage, severely damaging the electrical system and the decorative plaster interior of the auditorium.^[1] The company's costumes, collected for decades and stored under the damaged roof, were lost. In 1996 the former opera company relinquished ownership of the building.^[6]

Mayor Thomas Menino, with the aid of Senator Edward Kennedy (whose father, Joseph, was the first owner), helped to get the theater landmark status. After a series of failed or delayed development proposals, the Clear Channel Company agreed to renovate the theater. The need to enlarge the trapezoidal stage house into the street between buildings provoked a multi-year court fight with the neighboring Tremont on the Commons condominium building, whose concerns with fire safety were eventually overcome with the persuasion of Mayor Menino.

The Boston opera community welcomed the efforts of Mayor Menino and Clear Channel to refurbish the Opera House and the damaged interior was carefully restored in a $38 million renovation.^[7] Plaster and decorative finishes were consolidated, recreated, and restored, and the proscenium murals were conserved. This interior restoration was performed by EverGreene Architectural Arts. The opera reopened on July 16, 2004 with the Broadway production of The Lion King. ^[8]

Clear Channel has kept the historic theater busy and active with long runs of touring Broadway musicals and pop concerts. While its agreement with city includes a clause that opera be produced at least two weeks a year, currently there is no resident opera company in the theater to replace Sarah Caldwell's group. Boston Lyric Opera and Opera Boston perform at the smaller Schubert and Majestic Theatres.

The Boston Opera House since 2005 has been home to the Boston Ballet's annual holiday production of The Nutcracker. ^[9] Previously performed at the Wang Center for the Performing Arts, it needed a new home when the Wang began hosting the Radio City Christmas Spectacular during the holidays.^[10]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Boston Opera House records (1908-1958) are available at the Northeastern University Libraries Archives and Special Collections.
• Flickr Photoset of the Boston Opera House during renovation in 2003.
• Boston Opera House/Keith Memorial Theatre at Cinema Treasures.

Coordinates: 42°21′14″N 71°3′44″W / 42.35389°N 71.06222°W / 42.35389; -71.06222