Cresco Opera House

Cresco, United States

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

Find out more

The Cresco Opera House, located in Cresco, Iowa, is a Prairie School–style theater completed in 1915. Designed by local engineer Joseph H. Howe and built by Martin Johnson, the structure replaced earlier, inadequate venues in town—the condemned Lyric Hall and the substandard Family and Cozy theaters. Organized by the Cresco Commercial Club and the Cresco Opera House Company through fundraising efforts in early 1914, the building opened with a performance of the musical *High Jinks*. The theater, which seats 425, was equipped for both live performance and motion pictures, and included a community hall in the basement. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.