Pella Opera House
I took this while attending Pella, IA Tulip Festival. It was settled by Dutch immigrants and this heritage is well represented throughout the town. According to Wikipedia there is even a Pella Dutch dialect.
The Pella Opera House was Pella’s first 4-story structure, located in the heart of downtown Pella. The current building is actually the second Opera House in town. According to an article written by Ray Koenigs in the 1986 Pella History Book, an earlier Opera House had been built in 1860. That building was destroyed in a fire in 1883, and three years passed before there was talk of building a replacement.
The building was designed by architect Stanley De Gooyer and was built and largely financed by Herman Rietveld, owner of the Pella Drain and Tile Company. The Pella Advertiser of November 8, 1900 says that, “Mr. Rietveld has done more for the building interests of Pella than any other man in our city.” A business man with many interests, he was involved in banking, newspaper publishing, various manufacturing businesses and farming.
On July 21, 1900, ground was broken and construction began.
Today, in the triangle at the top of the Opera House, one can read the words “Opera House Block.” Block in this case is a reference to a business area building rather than a city block. The building was 65 feet high, 120 feet long and 40 feet wide. A few days before its opening, the Pella Advertiser stated that “the ground floor will be devoted to offices, an implement room, a heating plant for the entire building as well as the box office and grand staircase leading to the second floor theater. The stage is 28 feet in depth with an opening 18′x20′ and fitted with the latest scenery from the finest studios in the US. There was also a balcony and above that on the 4th floor will be a large room with a Brussels carpet, fit for receptions and banquets. Hundreds of incandescent lights will illuminate the interior.”
The opening play on Saturday, November 16, 1900, at 12:30pm was “What Happened to Jones?” The critic who reviewed the performance praised the orchestra, but complained that the play itself was devoid of any real plot to give it an interest and consisted in the sandwiching of jokes both new and old between the flimsy makeshift of a plot.[Opera House website]
Pella Opera House
I took this while attending Pella, IA Tulip Festival. It was settled by Dutch immigrants and this heritage is well represented throughout the town. According to Wikipedia there is even a Pella Dutch dialect.
The Pella Opera House was Pella’s first 4-story structure, located in the heart of downtown Pella. The current building is actually the second Opera House in town. According to an article written by Ray Koenigs in the 1986 Pella History Book, an earlier Opera House had been built in 1860. That building was destroyed in a fire in 1883, and three years passed before there was talk of building a replacement.
The building was designed by architect Stanley De Gooyer and was built and largely financed by Herman Rietveld, owner of the Pella Drain and Tile Company. The Pella Advertiser of November 8, 1900 says that, “Mr. Rietveld has done more for the building interests of Pella than any other man in our city.” A business man with many interests, he was involved in banking, newspaper publishing, various manufacturing businesses and farming.
On July 21, 1900, ground was broken and construction began.
Today, in the triangle at the top of the Opera House, one can read the words “Opera House Block.” Block in this case is a reference to a business area building rather than a city block. The building was 65 feet high, 120 feet long and 40 feet wide. A few days before its opening, the Pella Advertiser stated that “the ground floor will be devoted to offices, an implement room, a heating plant for the entire building as well as the box office and grand staircase leading to the second floor theater. The stage is 28 feet in depth with an opening 18′x20′ and fitted with the latest scenery from the finest studios in the US. There was also a balcony and above that on the 4th floor will be a large room with a Brussels carpet, fit for receptions and banquets. Hundreds of incandescent lights will illuminate the interior.”
The opening play on Saturday, November 16, 1900, at 12:30pm was “What Happened to Jones?” The critic who reviewed the performance praised the orchestra, but complained that the play itself was devoid of any real plot to give it an interest and consisted in the sandwiching of jokes both new and old between the flimsy makeshift of a plot.[Opera House website]