The History of the Boston Opera House
Boston was at one time home to two opera houses. The first Boston Opera House was built in 1909 and demolished in 1958 after it was deemed unsafe. The second was originally the B.F. Keith Theater built in 1928 as a movie palace. It was converted and renamed the Boston Opera House in 1978 by the Opera Company of Boston.
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History
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The original Boston Opera House staged local productions, but by the late 1930s it fell into disuse. The second Boston Opera House was originally named for B.F. Keith, a popular vaudeville entrepreneur. It continued as a movie theater through the 1970s as the Savoy Theater before its conversion to its present use as an opera house.
Significance
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The present Boston Opera House is a textbook example of Renaissance Revival architecture that was commonly employed in the majestic 1920s silent movie theaters, with its huge orchestra pit to accommodate musicians playing live music for films.
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Function
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The theater serves as a venue for live performances ranging from "The Lion King" and "Phantom of the Opera," to such music acts as The White Stripes and Linda Ronstadt.
Features
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Architect Thomas W. Lamb designed the opera house, which features common Renaissance Revival touches such as arches above the doors, porches and windows, a symmetrical facade, elaborate support spaces, gold leaf touches and wide, overhanging eaves supported by decorative brackets.
Size
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The theater has a seating capacity of 2,500.
Fun Fact
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The original Boston Opera House refused to fall quietly in 1958, when two wrecking crews could not bring it down until a third company brought in a much-larger wrecking derrick to finally demolish it.
Famous Ties
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Joseph Kennedy, father of John, Robert and Edward "Ted" Kennedy, was the first owner of the theater.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Boston Revelopment Agency
