| The Bronx Opera House | |
|---|---|
 The Opera House Hotel, still under construction at the end of May 2013 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Boutique Hotel (opened August 11, 2013)[2] |
| Location | 436 E 149th St Bronx, NY 10455 United States |
| Coordinates | 40°48′54″N 73°54′58″W / 40.8151°N 73.9161°W |
| Construction started | September 1912 |
| Completed | August 1913 |
| Opening | August 30, 1913 |
| Cost | $300,000[1] |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | George M. Keister |
| Main contractor | Cramp & Co. |
The Bronx Opera House is a former theater, part of the Subway Circuit, now converted into a boutique hotel in the Melrose neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City.[3] It was designed by George M. Keister and built in 1913 at 436 East 149th Street on the site of Frederick Schnaufer's stable. It was one of several theaters to come into the area that became known as the Hub.[4] It was formally dedicated on opening night Saturday, August 30, 1913.[1]
Performers included the Marx Brothers, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Julia Marlowe, Ethel Barrymore and Lionel Barrymore, David Warfield.[4][5] Other performers at the theatre included George M. Cohan, Eddie Cantor, John Bunny, Harry Houdini, Peggy Wood[6] and Fats Waller.[7] Post-Broadway shows were often performed and the theater hosted the Aborn Opera Company.[3]
The Bronx Opera House is often confused with the Percy G. Williams' New Bronx Opera House built in 1909 and located at 567 Melrose Avenue (corner of 150th Street), later renamed the B.F. Keith's Bronx Theatre, which was a different venue featuring vaudeville shows.
- ^ a b At the Theatres. New Rochelle Pioneer. August 23, 1913
- ^ "Official Facebook page". Facebook. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
hotelwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Rogers, Will; Gragert, Steven K.; Johansson, M. Jane (May 1, 2001). The Papers of Will Rogers: From vaudeville to Broadway : September 1908-August 1915. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 9780806133157. Retrieved January 16, 2019 – via Google Books.
- ^ Frick, Ward; et al. (1987). Directory of historic American theatres. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0313248680.
- ^ Bill Twomey [1] The Bronx: In Bits and Pieces pages 198, 199
- ^ "Waller's Review Open Bronx Opera House". The Afro American. December 27, 1941. Retrieved June 18, 2013.