Gravenhurst Opera House
In the early 20th century, small towns in Ontario liked to build a performance venue and call it an Opera House. The Gravenhurst Opera House is a beatiful expression of that but it is hardly what the rest of the world would call an Opera House. It's a Town Hall that the town could take pride in.
It's the artistic heart of Gravenhurst and is well loved. It opened in 1901 but in February 1993 the Ministry of Labour closed its doors, citing unsafe conditions.
The community raised the money to renovate and the result is seen here. The team was led by Philip Goldsmith of Goldsmith Borgal Architects. Despite calling itself an Opera House, it is really a multipurpose room serving everything from touring music acts, theatre and classical music.
Perhaps like so many other opera houses!
