The Jacobson Opera House
was built by Martin Jacobson, known as “The Hardware Man”. The Opera House had
a capacity of 800 people with a stage that was 30 feet by 50 feet. The Opera
House was built in 1902 at a cost of
$30,000. The grand opening was on January 5, 1903. The opening play was “The
Count of Monte Crisco” attended by over 600 people. Box seats were auctioned
off, the highest price paid was $55.00. A note about the curtain on the stage.
It contained advertisements and when the show began the curtain was rolled up. The
Opera House had the reputation of “the finest west of St Paul”. It was also the
home to town meetings, political rallies, dances, parties, school events and
other public events. The Opera House was on the third floor of the Jacobson
Building. In 1920, the Opera House was used as the Scottish Rote Temple for the
Masons. The Opera House was destroyed by
a fire in 1923 and was never rebuilt. The first Opera House was on the
northeast corner of Main Street and Central Avenue. In the late 60’s the
building was the home of the USO and it is now the home of the Taube Museum of
Art.
Opera House Fire - 1923
No comments:
Post a Comment