Seattle’s Grand Theater Debut
After months of anticipation and construction, Seattle prepares to open a lavish new opera house with the Duff Opera Company.
John W. Hanna, manager of the new house, confirms the opening performance will take place on the evening of Monday, December 5. Work is being pushed night and day, and the scaffolding will be taken down next Tuesday. The seats and scenery are already here, ensuring the opening will not be postponed. The seats for the inaugural night will be sold at auction next Tuesday at the old opera house at Fourth and Jefferson streets. Due to the high rental cost and great difficulty in securing the five-year lease, the management has opted for this method to ensure the house's financial success. After the opening, ticket prices will be set as low as any theater in the country, with attractions varying in cost. The Duff Opera Company will open with 'A Trip to Africa,' followed by a week of high-profile entertainment, including the debut of Julia Marlowe.
“The doors will be thrown open to admit the public to a theater which needs not the driving of a nail or the touch of a paint brush to perfect its beauty.”
The 1892 grand opening of the new Seattle Theater represented the city's aspirations to be a world-class cultural hub. Today, while the specific theater is long gone, the struggle over theater and performance space accessibility—and the high cost of urban real estate mentioned in the article—remains a central tension in Seattle’s growth.
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