Menominee Opera House
| Menominee Opera House | |
|---|---|
| Menominee Theatre | |
| Location | Menominee, Michigan |
| Nearest city | Marinette, Wisconsin |
| Area | First Street Historic District |
| Built | 1902 |
| Original use | Live performance venue |
| Architect | George O. Garnsey |
| Owner | The Menominee Opera House Committee, Inc. |
| Website | http://www.menomineeoperahouse.org |
Coordinates: 45°6′12″N 87°36′10″W / 45.10333°N 87.60278°W Built in 1902, the Menominee Opera House (later known as Menominee Theatre) resides in the Historic Waterfront District of downtown Menominee, Michigan. It was designed by well-known American architect George O. Garnsey, whose other designs include the Ogle County Courthouse in Oregon, Illinois and Queen Anne style homes such as the Ellwood House in DeKalb, Illinois.
Construction of The Menominee Opera House was funded "primarily through the sale of stock by a group of prominent lumber barons who desired to enhance the cultural life of the community". Early performances included the talents of John Philip Sousa, Maude Adams and Texas Guinan. The opera house was also used for political rallies, suffrage meetings and local productions as well.
The diminishing popularity of live entertainment, brought on by the rise of motion pictures, caused the facility to shift its primary focus from live performances to movies. However, the opening of a competing movie theater quickly proved too much for the opera house. The facility closed its doors in 1929.
After ownership of the building was turned over to the city, The Menominee Opera House served as a local community auditorium (a.k.a. Civic Auditorium) from 1929 until around 1945. At which time, it was opened once again as a movie house under the name of The Menominee Theater. In addition to movies, the re-opened entertainment venue still managed to bring in a few live acts as well, including performances by big band leader Tiny Hill.
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