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Funded by the sale of stock, the Menominee Opera House was designed by George Otis Garnsey, a Chicago architect with experience designing theaters churches, courthouses and homes. Garnsey was hired in July, 1902, from a field of three contenders. The opera house was built in just four months, opening on Dec. 16, 1902, with "The Prince of Pilsen," a musical comedy starring Helen Bertram. Located at the corner of what was then Ludington Avenue and Kirby Street, the Menominee Opera House was built on five narrow lots. Constructed from Pompeiian brick, the building offered eight boxes as well as two horseshoe-shaped balconies, in addition to the main floor. The interior was lavish, with red and gold walls. The ceiling was decorated with paintings of green leaves and goldenrod. Above both the proscenium arch and the entrance to the auditorium were murals. Chairs were upholstered in a deep maroon plush. Regular seats sold for about 50 cents, but boxes, which were auctioned off, were considerably higher, with $100 the highest bid for a single box. The building once had a segregated entrance to the top balcony, as would have been the custom in Garnsey's hometown. But that was soon modified so that every patron entered through the same front doors, under a massive fanlight. Shows were booked by letter or telegram, with performers and sets arriving by train. Companies stayed at the Menominee Hotel and reportedly used the underground steam tunnel to move between the two buildings during inclement weather. Famous names like John Philip Sousa, Maud Adams, George M. Cohan and Eddie Foy reportedly performed from the opera house stage. In its heyday, the venue employed 12-15 stagehands, 12 ushers, three ticket sellers and one cashier. During the late 1940s, M.E. Cammack operated a movie theater, a fate the Menominee Opera House shared with many of its peers across the country. On March 9, 1950, disaster struck. Originating in the basement, fire destroyed much of the stage area, creeping up through the floor and igniting scenery and the stage loft. According to the Menominee Herald-Leader, "The whole stage structure (acted) as a giant flue which sent the fire up instead of out into the auditorium." After the fire, Cammack sold the building. The floor was leveled and for the next 30 years the opera house served as a warehouse. The Menominee Opera House was nearly razed in the late 1970s. The Vennema family purchased it to save it from demolition. |
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An architect, a fast-track building project and a mystery What's an old opera house without a little mystery? The Menominee Opera House was designed by George Otis Garnsey, a Chicago architect responsible for the design of many other theaters as well as churches and courthouses. The style is a blend of Victorian Gothic, Second Empire and Greek Revival. The bands of arched windows on the front elevation also suggest a touch of Richardsonian Romanesque style. Complex design was Garnsey's hallmark. Born in Rock Island, Ill., in 1840, Garnsey was educated in New York. In 1856, he was hired as a draftsman, working for J.C. Rankin for five years in Chicago. He worked with other firms until 1868, then established his own practice. In 1869, he worked on the Illinois State Capitol and several years later, became involved in the rebuilding of Chicago after the 1871 fire. In the late 1870s, Garnsey designed Ellwood House in DeKalb, Ill., for Isaac Ellwood, the inventor of barbed wire. The home is now a museum and historic site. DeKalb is home to other Garnsey-designed buildings, as is neighboring Sycamore, Ill. Garnsey was editor of the National Builder between 1885 and 1893. He also wrote "The American Glossary of Architectural terms," published in 1887 by the National Builder's publishing company. In July, 1902, Garnsey, who by this time had acquired a reputation for theater design, was chosen from a field of three architects to design the Menominee Opera House. Construction began in August and the opera house was completed by December, a fast track, given the building methods of a century ago. Did Garnsey borrow elements from his previous designs to create a blueprint for the Menominee Opera House? The segregated entrance, which would have been an element of such buildings in southern or southern Midwest cities, seems to suggest Menominee's design is not entirely original. Is there an identical opera house out there somewhere? Contact Us |
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