Lexington Opera House, Lexington, KY, Ghid vizitatori și ce de văzut în apropiere

The Lexington Opera House is a historic theatre at 401 West Short Street in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. It opened in 1887 and has hosted some of the biggest names in American entertainment. After decades of decline it was restored in the 1970s and is still a working performance venue today.

The story behind it

The Opera House was born from a disaster. In 1886 a fire destroyed the town's earlier theatre, and a new three-story opera house, designed by Oscar Cobb of Chicago, was built to replace it. It opened in 1887 and soon became the place where touring stars stopped in Lexington. Performers linked to its stage include Al Jolson, W. C. Fields, Will Rogers, Lillian Russell, Sarah Bernhardt and the escape artist Harry Houdini.

Tastes changed in the 20th century. Live plays dried up, the building became a cinema, and it fell into disrepair. Storms damaged the structure, including its ceiling and roof. The building was brought back in the mid 1970s, and it has been a theatre again ever since.

What to look for

• Take in the three-story shape of the building from the street, and picture the 19th-century opera house that Oscar Cobb designed.
• Notice how the Opera House sits among the streets of downtown Lexington, close to the corner of North Broadway and Short Street.
• Look at any posters or signs outside that announce current shows, a reminder that this is a living theatre and not a museum.
• Stand outside in the evening and imagine the crowds, and the performers like Houdini, who once drew people through these doors.

Tips for your visit

• Ten to fifteen minutes is enough to see the outside and read its story; allow longer if you want to attend a performance.
• The best way to see the interior is to attend a show or event, so check the current schedule and opening hours before you go.
• Evening is a good time to visit, when the theatre feels most alive and the street has a different mood.
• It sits in the heart of downtown, so you can easily combine it with a walk through the nearby streets.

See it on a quest

Ghost Hunt in Lexington is a good fit for a building with such a dramatic past. You reach the Opera House on foot as one stop of a longer route through downtown, the app tells you about the place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Dorothy’s Quest: The Trials of Oz in Lexington, KY takes a more playful route past the same streets. The app tells you about each place when you get there and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you, so the Opera House becomes one stop in a walk through the area. One ticket covers the whole group.