Claremont Opera House

I've seen the opera house's exterior only. Memory tells me it was a Saturday night just this last fall. Downtown was deserted and so was the opera house. There was, however, a lovely art deco diner from the 1930's which was open. The owner gave me some history about this beautiful diner but unfortunately didn't know much history about either the opera house or Latchis theatre-- the auditorium portion has been demolished. Anyway, for all the art deco diner enthusiasts, I'll strongly suggest a visit to Claremont

The Opera House in Claremont NH is listed in the 1897-98 edition of Julius Cahn's Official Theatrical Guide, a publication for roadshow producers. The seating capacity is given as 1,025 and the auditorium is on the second floor. The proscenium opening is 34 feet and the stage is 31 feet deep. The house has both gas and electric illumination. Oscar Rand is the Mgr and Arthur Perry was orchestra leader. Local hotels are the Claremont, Belmont and Sullivan House. Although the Opera House was brand new at the time this edition of the Guide was being printed, that fact is not mentioned in the listing.

This is a modern interior photo of the Claremont Opera House and here is another.

Here is an exterior view.

I visited the venue back in the 90's. It is a jewel box of a space with a very interesting balcony. The front edge sweeps in a bow shape rather than straight or arced. Quite beautiful. I seem to recall it being a hemp house, something fairly rare today. The house crew also told me that there is a fairly extreme db. limit in order to protect plaster and glasswork. Worth the visit.