36-5 The Opera House - Newberry, SC
N 34° 16.453 W 081° 37.229
17S E 442884 N 3792735
The Opera House is located at 1201 McKibben St, Newberry, SC, at the intersection of Boyce St. The marker is mounted on the left side of the McKibben St entrance.
Waymark Code: WMGJ75
Location: South Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 03/11/2013
Views: 10
The Newberry Opera House was completed in 1881 at a cost of $30,000. C.L. Norman, architect from Columbia, S.C., designed the French Gothic inspired structure. The building was designed as a place of entertainment for the local citizenry and as a seat of government for the city. The building is an excellent example of Victorian civic eclectic architecture.
The building was constructed with brick from three local brickyards. The granite used in the construction came from a quarry approximately two miles outside of the city limits. Local craftsmen’s and artisans’ talents in woodworking and masonry were used throughout the construction of the original building.
The original design called for the first floor to house the fire engine room, council chambers, a clerk’s office, a police officer, and three jail cells. The second floor was a hall 53 by 52 feet with a stage 29 by 52 feet. The floor had an inclination of two feet four inches from the rear of the hall to the stage. In connection with the hall were a ticket office, a "green room", a cloakroom, and three dressing rooms.
The building had a tower 130 feet high topped with a garfish weather vane, and the tower housed an E. Howard Tower town clock which was 90 feet from the ground. From (
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Marker Text:
This building was erected by the Town of Newberry, and dedicated in February of 1882. An outstanding example of Victorian civic architecture of eclectic design, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. Now housing city offices, the Opera House was for over half a century the center of entertainment for this community. Plays, college commencements, and balls were held in the auditorium upstairs.
Erected 1970 by Newberry Historical Society.