It may well be the only opera house where no opera has ever been performed. But the handsome City Opera House in Traverse City, Mich. has hosted plenty of other events in its 114-year career: innumerable plays, vaudeville shows, concerts, balls, public meetings, high school graduations and political rallies for candidates from William Jennings Bryan to John McCain.

Gerie Greenspan explains some of the recent architectural restoration work at the 1891 opera house in Traverse City, Mich.
Today, it's the oldest historically intact Victorian-era opera house in Michigan. And it's just reopened for business after undergoing a large-scale restoration project in which almost all of its major architectural features‹ floors, walls and 43-foot vaulted ceilings‹have been replaced and redecorated. The restored 41,000 sq. ft. facility will include stateof- the-art lighting and sound equipment, elevators, a caterer's kitchen and seating for 730 people, said Gerie Greenspan, executive director of the City Opera House Heritage Association, the nonprofit group that has raised most of the money for the $8.8 million project.

Gerie Greenspan explains some of the recent architectural restoration work at the 1891 opera house in Traverse City, Mich. The splendid Victorian facility reopened this winter for tours, concerts and other events after being closed for several years. (Photo Courtesy Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau) "What we've done is to honor the past while providing the flexibility and the resources to make this a usable space for the future," said Greenspan. "When we're finished, there will be five rentable spaces within this building available for various groups, and they can be used simultaneously."

Built in 1897 above several stores in the Traverse City's downtown shopping district, the Opera House was the first building in town to have electric lights and was intended to serve a multitude of uses. Its hardwood floors were made to be danced upon, and the seating was designed to be easily cleared out of the way for meetings and balls. For decades, it served as the growing community's social and cultural center.

But times and tastes change. In 1920 the building was leased by a motion picture distributor who promptly closed it down so it wouldn't compete with the movie houses he had opened down the street. Except for a brief respite during the 1930s when it saw service as part of a Depression-era WPA project, it was closed to the public for decades‹a situation that probably helped preserve it in its original condition. In 1980 the building was donated to the city of Traverse City and was reopened for community events, but was closed again in 2003 to undergo the first stage of the current restoration. The Opera House will open for tours, meetings, weddings and other public events in the summer of 2005, said Greenspan. Then, after a brief pause in 2006 for the final phase of the project, it will reopen yet again and begin aggressively seeking convention and meeting business. The Association is also considering ways to work with touring theatre companies, concert promoters, and Traverse City's large performing arts community to create a regular schedule of concerts and other events to make the space into a regular destination for visitors and local residents.

"This was kind of the heartbeat of this town, and we want to make that happen again," she said. "What we have in mind is an entire experience ‹ not just going to a concert."

For more information about tours, operating hours and events at the Traverse City Opera House‹and for a complete listing of other activities, attractions, lodging and dining options in the Traverse City area‹contact the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau's toll-free number, 1- 800-TRAVERS or visit their web site at www.mytraversecity.com.

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