Grand Opera House

This opera house appears on the first map of Ida Grove in 1886. It was likely only a few years old at that point. Originally, it was a wide one-story wooden building, but it seems to have been remodeled or reconstructed at some point after 1899, as it appears as a two-story building of exactly the same footprint on the 1909 map. By 1915, the ground floor had a brick veneer.

Postcards show the building with a peaked roof and a columned portico across the front. The stage was quite large. The capacity is from the 1905 Cahn guide, and may have increased after the remodel. By 1914, if not earlier, movies were being shown here. This seems to have ended at some point before 1926.

The building was drastically remodeled, perhaps around 1940. The portico was removed, and a flat roof was added. It was last used as a TV repair shop. The city demolished it, along with the old city hall/armory to the north, in Spring 2022.

Get Movie Tickets & Showtimes

Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.