Rockland Opera House
Union Street and Church Street,
Rockland,
MA
02370
Union Street and Church Street,
Rockland,
MA
02370
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oldasdirt45- OK, then. To recap- The Opera House remained in use for such things as kids' Halloween parties as late as the 1950s, and was obliterated when the upper floor (containing the theater) was demolished sometime 1970s-80s when the remaining ground floor was remodeled into the South Coastal Bank office. Does that sound right? Also, I think I may have been misled a long time ago by something on-line which gave the impression that an earlier Rockland Opera House became Hibernia Hall by 1904, and was located “where South Coastal Bank is today”. It would appear that Hibernia Hall was in the Rockland Opera house building, and there was no earlier theater by that name.
Glad I could help. I am may have misled you slightly, though. I believe that the bank building is not a replacement, but is all that remains of the original building when the entire second floor was removed.
oldasdirt45 – Early- to mid-1950s is good enough for me; I just want to get an idea of when the theater was still being used for something. When I first heard about the Rockland Opera House, I learned that it ceased showing movies (silient) by 1930, so I assumed that it was demolished sometime in the 1930s, then I learned that it was in use as a community theater venue up until at least the early-1940s. So it’s nice to know from your postings that it lasted much longer than that before it was demolished and replaced by the bank bulding.
No, I’m sorry, but I can’t recall the exact years the parties were held. I believe I went there in the early to mid 50’s. One other interesting fact concerning the Savings Bank building though. If you look at the picture above you will see the main entrance at the corner of the building. That door used to be a large window that held a Don Kent-WBZ Weather Station back in the early 60’s.
oldasdirt45 – Thanks for finding the location. Do you recall what years the Halloween parties for kids were held there?
The Rockland Opera House was located on the second floor at the corner of Church and Union Streets. The entrance was in the rear of the building. I can remember attending Town Halloween parties in the opera house. It was demolished back in the 70’s or 80’s. The location is now the South Coastal Bank (formerly Rockland Savings Bank). I wish we had more history of this important building.
At one of the internet auction sites recently there was a lot of 16 old theater programs; 14 were from New York theaters, one was a program for a play in 1910 at the Park Theatre on Washington St. in Boston (later, the Trans Lux/ State), and one was for a 1911 touring show at the Rockland Opera House.
The New York Clipper Annual for 1893 lists the Rockland Opera House as having been dedicated on August 31, 1892.
Mike L., who grew up in Rockland (b. 1937) and was an avid movie fan there in the 1940s and early-1950s, had no knowledge at all of the Rockland Opera House. He did not even hear about it until he was an adult. He doesn’t know exactly where it was located. When we talked about it a few years ago, he attempted to contact someone he knew who was very much into town history, only to learn that she had recently passed away. Another opportunity lost.
There was an earlier Rockland Opera House which became Hibernia Hall, a social/fraternal facility. It may have been located at 279 Union St. (not sure of that). The opera house was on a long list of theaters and halls in Massachusetts which received state licenses during 1920. John Bowler was Mgr. then.
The Rockland Opera House was listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook as having 500 seats and open 2 days per week. Competition was the new Strand Theatre in Rockland. The reduced seating capacity may have been due to the fact that the balcony was closed permenantly.
The Rockland Opera House is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. It had 985 seats, electric illumination, and was located on the second floor. The proscenium opening was 26 feet wide X 17 feet high, and the stage was 30 feet deep. Edward Wicher was Mgr; There were 2 weekly newspapers and 4 hotels for show folk. The 1897 population was 7,000.