The Central City Opera House - A 100 Year History

This is the story of Central City, Colorado’s world famous Opera House. It starts with the founding of Central City in the 1859 Gold Rush, through its early stirrings of pioneer theatre leading to the idea of building an Opera House, and its actual construction in 1978. After the Opera House opened, productions and community use flourished for several years, but diminished as mining declined and the turn of the century neared. In the 1900s, in the hopes of profitable operations, silent films were shown. By the early 30s, however, time was running out. The old Opera House was deteriorating badly and faced conversion into an auto shop. A miracle happened in 1932 which saved the Opera House and resurrected it into the main attraction of the Central City Opera Festival that has become an American musical tradition. This is the story of that miracle.