Crosby's Opera House

Chicago, United States

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

Crosby's Opera House (1865–1871) was a five-story opera house in Chicago founded by Uranus H. Crosby to advance the arts by introducing opera to the city. Designed by William W. Boyington, the building featured decorative statues of painting, sculpture, music, and commerce welcoming visitors through its archway. Financial difficulties led Crosby to sell the building in 1866 through an innovative lottery scheme that distributed over 210,000 tickets and awarded purchasers artworks alongside the building itself. After being repurchased by lottery winner A.H. Lee and returning to Crosby, the opera house began mounting more regular performances until the Great Chicago Fire destroyed it in 1871. The site remained undeveloped for over a century; the city demolished deteriorated structures there in 1989 and spent two decades deliberating on redevelopment of the property, known as Block 37, during which time it served as an art studio and winter skating rink.

Type: opera house
Place: Chicago, United States

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Location

41.88350, -87.62860