Crosby's Opera House

For other references to opera in Chicago, see List of Opera Houses in Chicago.
Crosby's Opera House
Map
LocationChicago, Illinois, U.S.
Coordinates41°53′01″N 87°37′43″W / 41.8835°N 87.6286°W / 41.8835; -87.6286
OwnerUranus H. Crosby
TypeOpera house
Construction
OpenedApril 20, 1865 (1865-04-20)
ClosedOctober 9, 1871 (1871-10-09)
Construction cost$600,000

Crosby's Opera House (1865–1871) was an opera house in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It was founded by Uranus H. Crosby in 1865 with the goal of advancing the arts in Chicago by bringing opera to the city.[1] The five-story building was designed by William W. Boyington and contained statues of painting, sculpture, music and commerce that welcomed visitors as they entered through the arch of the building. After holding only occasional performances, Crosby ran into many business difficulties that resulted in a decision to sell the building in 1866. The Crosby Opera House Art Association was formed to help Crosby sell the building by lottery.[1] The lottery distributed over 210,000 tickets, awarding purchasers great works of art and even the building itself.[2] After being sold back to Crosby by the lottery winner, A.H. Lee, the hall began producing more consistent performances. The opera house stood for less than six and a half years before it was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and was never rebuilt.

In 1989 the city demolished the deteriorated properties on the site where it once stood, and took decades to subsequently formalize plans for redevelopment of the so-called Block 37.[1][3] During the city's twenty-year discussion regarding what to do with the property, it was used as an art studio for Chicago public school students and as a skating rink through the winter season.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d "Crosby's Opera House". The Great Chicago Fire & The Web of Memory. Archived from the original on 2009-07-17. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  2. ^ "Crosby's Lottery (1-21-1867)". Chicago History Today. 2015-01-21. Archived from the original on 2019-02-24. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  3. ^ "Crosby Opera House". chicagology.com. Retrieved 31 December 2020.