Memorial Opera House

Valparaiso, United States

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

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The Porter County Memorial Hall, also known as the Memorial Opera House, is a Romanesque-styled theatre in Valparaiso, Indiana, designed by local architect Charles F. Lembke and constructed in 1892–93. Originally built to seat 100 people, it served as a Grand Army of the Republic memorial hall for Chaplain Brown GAR Post No. 106 and doubled as the town's opera house. The building hosted notable figures including William Jennings Bryan (reputedly during his 1896 presidential campaign), Theodore Roosevelt, John Philip Sousa, and the Marx Brothers. As motion pictures gained popularity, the hall declined and was converted for cinema use; by World War II it stood abandoned. Beginning in 1955, the Community Theatre Guild leased and maintained the property for theatrical productions. Porter County took full possession in the late 1990s and undertook structural restoration in 1998, returning the building to active use as a theatre and assembly venue. The Memorial Opera House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.