Area less than one acre NRHP Reference # 93000954 Phone +1 641-418-8037 Added to NRHP 21 September 1993 | Built 1902 Opened 1902 Architectural style Italianate architecture | |
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Location 800 Davis Ave.
Corning, Iowa MPS Footlights in Farm Country: Iowa Opera Houses, 1835-1940 Address 800 Davis Ave, Corning, IA 50841, USA Similar Adams Community Economic, Icarian Research Center, Johnny Carson Birthplac, Corning Center for the Fine | ||
Invitation to corning opera house
The Corning Opera House is a theater located in Corning, Iowa, United States. This was the third of three opera houses built in town. The other two were built in the 1880s, and this one was completed in 1902. It was the only opera house in Corning by 1907, and it served as a theater until 1934. From its opening in 1902 until 1921 it staged theatrical performances, and from about 1920 to 1931 it showed movies. It also staged vaudeville performances and high school productions. The theater was located on the second floor. It featured raked seating on the main floor and in the horseshoe-shaped balcony, and it had a small stage and specialized rooms backstage. Commercial space is located on the main floor of the building.
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Since 1934 the second floor opera house had been used for storage by the local newspaper. The western part of the building, the lobby and restroom area, was converted into apartments in 1943. The main floor in the opera house was leveled and marked for half-court basketball at some point. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.
A multi-year $3.5 million renovation was completed in 2012. At that time the opera house was restored to a performance venue. A grand opening was held April 5 and 6, 2012.