Grand Opera House 1894
Galveston, Galveston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Designed by Frank Cox of New Orleans, this Romanesque revival structure served as an opera house, hotel, and restaurant when it opened for its first season in 1895. Converted to a movie theater in the 1920s, it was restored in the 1970s and 1980s to once again serve as a venue for the performing arts. Prominent features of the building include its stone and terra cotta trim. An original cupola over the main entrance was destroyed in the 1900 storm. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1990
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Designed by New Orleans architect Frank Cox in the Romanesque Revival style, this building opened for its first season in 1895 as an opera house, hotel, and restaurant. Its ornate stone and terra cotta trim once carried a cupola over the main entrance, lost in the catastrophic 1900 Galveston storm. Turned into a movie theater in the 1920s, it was lovingly restored decades later to host live performances once again.
Why it matters
The Grand Opera House testifies to Galveston's cultural ambitions at its Gilded Age peak and to the city's determination to rebuild after the deadliest natural disaster in American history.
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Related people
- · Frank Cox
Related events
- · 1900 Galveston hurricane
Themes & tags
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