Opera House [Howell]
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S5280ft
N 42° 36.437 W 083° 55.844
17T E 259596 N 4721369
Located on the southeast side of Walnut Street, between Grand River Avenue and Sibley Street. Streetside parking is available.
Waymark Code: WM1703
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 02/06/2007
Views: 14
The curtain came down on the stage of the historic Howell Opera House Theater in 1924, bringing to an end nearly 45 years of entertainment. From opening day on December 30th, 1881 until 1924, people would come from miles around to sit in the theater (above what was Gill-Roy's Hardware) to see jugglers and acrobats, hear speeches from the likes of presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan and industrialist Henry Ford, and see productions of Gilbert and Sullivan's "Mikado" and Shakespeare's "Hamlet".
The 1,000 seat theater, which cost $11,000 in 1880 to build, was a central part of Livingston County's life and did double duty as a civic auditorium for events like high school graduations. Justice was also administered when in 1889 the Opera House served as a temporary home for the Livingston County Circuit Court.
In 1991, historic theater expert Edward Francis said that the Opera House should be placed on an "endangered species" list because most other theaters of its era have burned down.
Historical Date: 12/30/1881
Parking nearby?: yes
D/T ratings: 
website: [Web Link]
Registered Site #: Local Site #0184
Historical Name: Not listed
Description: Not listed
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