By 1892 they had
planned and started construction of a new town and
Soldier's Memorial Hall. Designed by William Butterfield
in the Romanesque Revival style, the red granite and
brick building included Town offices, the police and
water departments, the city court, a theatre and
function hall.
It was
dedicated and opened to the public on September 5th,
1893. The total cost was about $45,000, including
the furnishings. The Hall provided 504 flexible
seats on the main floor and 288 fixed seats on its
second level or balcony.
It was soon
affectionately referred to as "The Opera House". The
term "Opera", in the late 1890's was commonly used
to refer to many forms of musical and theatrical
entertainment. Small "Opera" Houses like the
Franklin Opera House, although not large enough to
host a full-scale Opera Company, accommodated many
smaller performances as well as individual Opera
singers.
Immediately
after its opening and for the next 50 years, the
Franklin Opera House became a venue for balls,
dances, lectures, plays, musicals, vaudeville shows,
concerts, school productions and graduation
ceremonies.
During the
Depression, the Opera House provided social programs
for the community and was a place for unemployed men
to gather for games activities.
In
the basement, there was even a miniature golf course
from 1930-1931.
During World
War II, programs of the Red Cross were offered
there, as were other special, inventive programs.
The
auditorium was transformed into a basketball court
for exhibition games, and utilized as a venue for
wrestling.
After
World War II, as the country began to tune into
television and respond to commercial cinema, use of
the Opera House declined. The needs of city
government grew. The police department expanded
throughout the lower level, and district court
offices were constructed on the stage. By 1970
administrative offices encroached into the
auditorium until the balcony and stage were no
longer visible to those attending meetings in what
was to become City Council Chambers. The Franklin
"Opera House," once an important and vital social
center of the community, ceased to provide the
entertainment for which it was designed.
In
1999, however, with the vision of people like Norma
Schofield and Steve Foley, the City Hall began the
transformation back into the Opera House once again.
The drop ceiling was removed, the partitions which
formed offices on stage were torn down, and in 2001,
the first shows in 30 years lit up the proscenium
and breathed life into this grand old building.
That spirit lives on today, as we plunge into this
new century with determination to keep the Opera
House functioning as a vital cultural center of not
just Franklin, but the entire Lakes Region.
