Part 611: The Union Opera House and Greene’s Opera House in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Col. J. M. Wood stated that the first theater he designed as a young architect was in Cedar Rapids, Ia.; this was while testifying about the theatre roof collapse in Detroit during 1898.
I was curious to see if I could find Wood’s first theatre project in Cedar Rapids. There were two potential candidates – the Union Opera House and Greene’s Opera House. Both buildings were built by Judge George Greene. The Union Opera House opened in 1870, the same year that some sources list J. M. Wood establishing his first architectural firm in Chicago. Wood was 29 years old in 1870.
The “Cedar Rapids Gazette” commented on performance spaces at he time, reporting “Before 1871, Cedar Rapids concert halls were temporary in nature. They were usually large rooms on upper stories of office buildings and had removable seating and portable stages. But in the year that the Union Opera House was established at First Avenue and Second Street SE, it featured a permanent stage and fixed seats for 600” (Cedar Rapids Gazette, 19 July 1964, page 11). Keep in mind that Cedar Rapids was a stop for traveling troops going between Chicago and Omaha or Minneapolis and Kansas City. The two opera houses were built on land purchased from Osgood Shephard, who was described as “a horse thief” by local historians and the “first Cedar Rapids resident” (Des Moines Register, 19 Jan. 1969, page 31).
As I hunted through old newspaper article and theatrical guides, I encountered some technical information pertaining to the Judge’s second opera house – Greene’s Opera House. This was quite an interesting space – so interesting that I am compelled to explore it over two installments. There was a listing for Greene’s Opera House in the “Jno. B. Jeffery’s Guide and Directory to the Opera Houses, Theatres, Public Halls, Bill Posters, Etc. of the Cities and Towns of America” (1882). Greene’s Opera House was constructed in 1879, located at 113 Second Street NE, between First and A Avenues. The opera house’s façade was made of red brick and trimmed black brick, cut stone and ornamental tiling. The edifice was crowned with an ornate iron cornice. The four-story building had the theater located in the second and third floor and was located across the street from the Roosevelt Hotel. The Greene Opera House was once listed as one the largest theaters between Chicago and Denver.
Judge Greene was one of the Cedar Rapids’ founders and a leading businessman. He was an Iowa legislator, as well as an Iowa Supreme Court justice. Rather late in his career, Judge Green considered building opera houses. In fact, his second opera house was still under construction when Greene passed away in June 1880. It was his son, Calvin H. Greene, who saw to the completion of the theatre and became the venue’s first manager.
Greene began construction on his second opera house next door to the Union Opera House. This is similar to the Temple theatre being built next door to the Detroit Opera House, with Col. J. M. Wood being involved with the design of each theater, even though they were constructed years apart. The Union opera house was eventually converted into a hall for meetings and other social events after the immediate success of Greene’s Opera House. The Union Theatre was later renamed Woodward Hall by 1889.
As with many nineteenth-century opera houses, the theater was not completely finished by opening night. Regardless, Greene’s Opera House officially opened to a house of 2000 on Dec. 27, 1880. The first production was the Emma Abbott Grand English Opera Company’s production of “The Bohemian Girl.” Unfortunately, it was winter and the patrons of the theater were bundled up with coats and gloves throughout the performance. The building was not completed until that spring – Aug. 4, 1881. As with many western theaters, Greene’s Opera House advertised as one of the “finest west of Chicago.”
The building’s foot print was 60 feet by 142 feet, rising and four stories high above the street, with the theater on the second and third floors. The size of the proscenium opening was 30 feet by 33 feet with a 40 feet by 60 feet stage. The height from the stage to the grooves was 18 feet with the height from the stage to the rigging loft at 36 feet. The depth under the stage was 9 feet with 4 traps. There were also 21 sets of scenery in 1884.
The theater included a parquet, dress circle and three balconies with seating for 2,000. The “Daily Times,” reported that with chairs placed on stage there was a seating capacity of 2,500 (22 April 1896, page 3). As with may performance spaces of the time, seating primarily consisted of “folding opera chairs, many which were upholstered.” At Greene’s Opera House, the chairs were upholstered in maroon plush, or red Morocco. I immediately thought of the opera chairs purchased by Horace C. Tabor for his opera house in Leadville, Colorado, and the advertisements for opera chairs in “Jno. B. Jeffery’s Guide and Directory to the Opera Houses.”
The building was illuminated with gas. There with a large 92-jet “sun burner” in the center of the theater’s dome that purportedly illuminate the space to be “as bright as day.” There were an additional 850 gas jets throughout the building for general lighting. Interestingly the stage area also included an elegant gas chandelier, that could be raised and lowered as required.
In 1900, the Henderson and Smith Company acquired the building and remodeled the theater.
A 1904 edition of “The Cedar Rapids Gazette” described the “elegant appointments” that included ten large dressing rooms, steam heat, and electric lighting. The theater remained in operation until 1928, although other sources note dates ranging from 1921-1926. When it closed, the theatre was $50,000 in debt and immediately fell into disuse (Des Moines Register, 19 Jan. 1969, page 31). Greene’s Opera House eventually became a storage garage, destined to be demolished by 1969.
Tomorrow I will explore the scenic art trio who decided to manage Greene’s Opera House during the 1880s.
To be continued…
