Meridian's envisioned arts education center will be developed in a core downtown block that includes two, historic retail buildings and a rare, second-story Grand Opera House.  These properties will be restored and the interior spaces designed to provide arts opportunities for young people from kindergarten through college.  Spaces will include classrooms, rehearsal halls, artists' studios and a restored opera house for stage presentations. Mississippi State University has assumed ownership of the property and is in the process of co-ordinating the restoration and ensuing programming. For a detailed look at the project click here http://msuinfo.ur.msstate.edu/meridian/riley/

Progress of the Restoration

 

 

 

 

 

History of The Grand Opera House
In the late 19th Century, a partnership consisting of businessmen I. Marks and his half-brothers, Levi, Sam, and Marx Rothenberg, made a decision to expand their retail operations by opening a swank new wholesale and retail mercantile store. Plans were also drawn for an adjoining hotel, which would rival the best hotels in the south. The site chosen covered almost a half a block, five lots which faced 5th Street, while three lots consumed the entire length of 22nd Avenue to 6th Street. Construction began  in 1889, under the direction of Meridian builder, C. Rubush. The exterior of the building was designed by G.M. Torgenson, architect of the original City Hall, as well as the Cotton Exposition in New Orleans. The original designs included a mansard roof, establishing the style as late Victorian, Empire/Romanesque. Extant photos show a roof gazebo where hotel guests could gather and be entertained, suggesting that the actual building of the hotel had progressed somewhat toward completion before the conversion to a theatre was considered. For reasons not clearly understood, the hotel was interrupted in process, and the decision was made to go with a Grand Opera House. A couple of factors probably entered into the decision to convert to a theatre. First, the top price for a ticket to a first-run production by a traveling company with a star was set at $1.50, about the same price for a room in a decent hotel, albeit with a fraction of the overhead costs. From a business standpoint, the profit margin was much greater in the box office. Second, Torgenson was familiar with the highly successful Grand Opera House of New Orleans, which had been completed only a few years earlier. Finally, because Mr. Marks spent most of the year in New York, he would have been aware of the more successful shows, and, most probably, the booking and production houses of Klaw and Erlanger, the founders of the Syndicate--the most powerful commercial force in the American theatre at the turn of the century. Wanting nothing less than a first-class Opera House, the Marks-Rothenberg partnership hired J.B. McElfatrick of New York and St. Louis to design the interior of the Grand. By this time, McElfatrick had designed over 200 theatres in the United States, including the National Theater in Washington D.C. and the Metropolitan Opera House of Philadelphia, among others. The Grand was completed in late 1890, in time for the December 17th opening of Johann Strauss', "The Gypsy Baron." Marking the significance of the event was a preliminary speech by Supreme Court Justice Thomas H. Woods. The stage, at 30 feet wide by 50 feet deep, could accommodate the largest, most lavish shows from New York. Under the 35-foot high arched proscenium was an ornate painted border which featured the famous "Lady." The "Lady" eventually became the symbol of the Opera House, and today the Grand Opera House is often referred to affectionately as "The Lady." While a direct relation cannot be proven, this is certainly consistent with Meridian's epithet, "The Queen City."

Underlying the border was a fire curtain which, at the time, represented an innovation in theater safety. In case of fire, the fire drop was lowered instantly, thus sealing the stage house from the auditorium. This was the single most important factor, outside of the conversion to electric power, in decreasing the catastrophic results of theatre fires. The proscenium arch was gilded and pierced on the sides by two levels of box seats. The boxes contained flexible chairs, which were moved about as spectators wished. The upper boxes on each side were reached by climbing narrow staircases at the parquet level. Patrons of the boxes were usually Meridian's elite, although on occasion the boxes were raffled off in contests or reserved for outside VIPs. The auditorium was divided into three levels, which could accommodate well over 1000 patrons. From the second-story lobby, one ascended a short staircase into the parquette, which we refer to now as the orchestra area. These were usually the higher priced tickets, and gave the spectator an excellent view of the production. The best seats were located in the dress circle, a semicircular area at the front of the balcony. Audience members entered the dress circle area by ascending the narrow stairways which also led to the upper boxes. The balcony was more readily reached by climbing the side staircases in the main lobby. The entire balcony was distinguished by a marvelously patterned wrought-iron railing, whose curved shape echoed the sinuous forms that marked the interior of the Grand Opera House. The upholstered seats in both parquette and balcony areas were covered with plush, wine-colored velvet. Underneath each seat was a metal rack fixture where hats would be placed during performances. These seats were quite comfortable, although some of those we interviewed complained that the more attractive box chairs were quite uncomfortable. The interior of the GOH was decorated in cream, blue, gold, and red colors. The paneled walls varied this scheme with wine-colored moldings -- providing a sense of continuity in the overall plan. There were no angles in the interior of the auditorium -- the ceiling was arched and its corners rounded. This provided the Grand Opera House with excellent acoustics, and opera singers, like Mme. Gadski, who performed on February 1, 1906 praised the sound quality as one of the best in the American theatres. The lobby in the original design was quite spacious, and was accessed directly by the grand staircase which led up from the 5th Street entrance. However, neither the ladies' nor men's' facilities were large enough to handle the capacity audiences which regularly filled the Grand. There was no powder room space, and the one commode assuredly made for some long lines, while primping and socializing were almost impossible. The men's' room lacked as well, consisting of a small common urinal with few other facilities. While one hears few complaints from the inconvenienced patrons of the time, it must be remembered that this was the Victorian era, when such unmentionables went unspoken. In 1902 the Grand was remodeled, reopening on September 17 with Old Innocence, starring a favorite of local audiences, the comic actor, Tim Murphy. Perhaps the most evident change involved moving the original entrance to the left -- the site of the former gallery entry. Three marble steps led up to the entrance, where a metal extension gate was attached and could be closed when the theater was dark. The Grand was remodeled again in May 1920, when it was converted in part to a movie theatre. The renovated theatre opened on June 7, introducing the silver screen that can still be seen in the backstage area of the theater. Other evidence of this transition occurred in the gallery, which was divided into two areas, allowing a center opening for the film's projection. The demise of the Grand began in 1923, when it was leased to Saenger Films of New Orleans, under title of the Plaza Amusement Company. A lease was set at $1,000 a month for a period of 25 years. When Plaza Amusements reneged on the lease with the Grand Opera House in late 1927, a long court battle ensued. While the Rothenbergs eventually won the case, the Depression had begun, Plaza Amusements had declared bankruptcy and the Grand Opera House was closed.
 
 

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