The National Trust Guide to Great Opera Houses in America

The first and only guide to the history and architecture of America′s famous opera houses

The American opera scene has grown with the country, spawning a proliferation of beautiful and enchanting opera houses. This unique guided tour covers almost 100 historical and contemporary opera houses dating from 1765 up to the present halls such as the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, the San Francisco Opera House, and the Cullen Theater in Houston.

America′s opera houses present an eclectic collection of buildings, from converted warehouses to ornate vaudevillian venues and modern concrete and glass structures. The National Trust Guide to Great Opera Houses in America celebrates this dynamic range of architectural types and styles, revealing how European elements were transformed into a distinctly authentic and vital part of America′s architectural and musical heritage.

Grouped by geographic region, this easy–to–use resource contains important historical information on structures some destroyed as well as those still standing including dates, name changes, seating capacity, and more. Many of the buildings featured are National Historic Landmarks or are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Almost 140 vintage and recent photographs bring to life these magnificent buildings and the operatic scenes enacted on their stages.

Whether used as a travel planner or an armchair reference, this definitive book is a must for music and theater enthusiasts, architects, designers, and preservationists the perfect front row seat to the dramatic history of opera in America.

Early Opera Houses in America, 1765–1865.

Historic Opera Houses in the East.

Historic Opera Houses in the South.

Historic Opera Houses in the Midwest.

Historic Opera Houses in the West.

Opera Houses of the 1960s and 1970s.

Opera Houses of the 1980s and 1990s.

Lost Opera Houses.

Epilogue.

Glossary.

Selected Bibliography.

Indexes.

KARYL LYNN ZIETZ, a noted opera expert, is the American correspondent for the publication about Teatro Alla Scala in Milan, and writes for Opera Now in London, Orpheus in Berlin, and Opera Australasia in Sydney. She is the author of Opera! The Guide to Western Europe′s Great Houses and Opera Companies of the United States.

THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION is the only private, nonprofit organization chartered by Congress to encourage public participation in the preservation of sites, buildings, and objects significant in American history and culture.