Croswell Opera House
Encyclopedia
The Croswell Opera House is a historic theater
located at 129 East Maumee Street in the city of Adrian
, Michigan
. It is recognized as the oldest continuously running theater in the state and among the oldest in the United States. The theater and the adjoining hall
were designated as a Michigan Historic Site
on March 2, 1976 and later added to the National Register of Historic Places
as the Adrian Union Hall-Croswell Opera House on April 18, 1985.
In 1921, the Croswell was converted into a movie theater and would remain one until 1967, when it was scheduled for destruction. The Adrian Foundation saved the building and the Croswell Opera House, and Fine Arts Association was created in order to promote the arts and to preserve the heritage of the opera house. In 1976, the two adjacent buildings were acquired, annexed, and renovated into the current art gallery, offices, and rehearsal spaces.
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
located at 129 East Maumee Street in the city of Adrian
Adrian, Michigan
As of the 2010 census Adrian had a population of 21,133. The racial and ethnic makeup of the population was 84.1% white, 4.4% black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 5.9% from some other race and 4.0% from two or more races...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It is recognized as the oldest continuously running theater in the state and among the oldest in the United States. The theater and the adjoining hall
Hall
In architecture, a hall is fundamentally a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age, a mead hall was such a simple building and was the residence of a lord and his retainers...
were designated as a Michigan Historic Site
Michigan State Historic Preservation Office
The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office is in charge of the listing of historic resources of local, state, and national interest in the U.S. state of Michigan, including buildings, lighthouses, bridges, historic districts, and many other properties deemed important to the history of Michigan...
on March 2, 1976 and later added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as the Adrian Union Hall-Croswell Opera House on April 18, 1985.
History
The Croswell as it's known to locals, became an official Michigan Historic Site in 1976 and was added in 1985 to the National Register Of Historic Places. Designed and built from 1864-1866 by John C. Brompton, it has remained a fixture of recreation and culture in Lenawee County and the surrounding areas.In 1921, the Croswell was converted into a movie theater and would remain one until 1967, when it was scheduled for destruction. The Adrian Foundation saved the building and the Croswell Opera House, and Fine Arts Association was created in order to promote the arts and to preserve the heritage of the opera house. In 1976, the two adjacent buildings were acquired, annexed, and renovated into the current art gallery, offices, and rehearsal spaces.