City Opera House Historical Marker

JM: What role did the City Opera House play in Traverse City when it first opened? What sorts of events were held there?

GG: When the opera house came online in 1892, it came online with a big splash in the community. ... The first five years had over 150 programs.

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City Opera House Entrance

JM: The City Opera House was leased and closed by a movie theater company in the 1920s to avoid competition with its other theaters. What other venues in the community provided the services formerly provided by the Opera House?

GG: ...As new...kinds of entertainments were introduced, film and then television and various kinds of sporting events...I can imagine people were reaching out and becoming more diverse in their places of gathering. ... In terms of how that relates to now, I do believe that we do have a tremendous revolution in the entertainment industry itself, but behind it there is this established and continuing need for people...to still be one on one in a large gathering space.

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JM: How did the restoration effort get started?

GG: The building itself was "rediscovered", if you will, by a small group of citizens, about five people, who got together and said "Let's do something about this."

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JM: What is the current status of the City Opera House restoration effort and what is left to do in the near future?

GG: ...We [will] be able to offer ourselves as a 700+ occupancy hall for...all the kinds of exhibits that you would want to bring to a wide open space for general consumption by the community.

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JM: Could you give some examples of the educational programs the City Opera House has been involved in?

GG: ...The opera house piloted a program entitled A Treasure in our Town that was an introduction to the opera house, its place in the community and an introduction to historic preservation...

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JM: What kind of programming do you see coming in the near future?

GG: ...Our stage size and our décor...really provide us with an opportunity to present some special things. ... One of the things we are talking about right now and are actually selling tickets for...is a partnership with the Traverse Symphony Orchestra. ... We can do a wonderful dance series. We can do opera for the first time.

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JM: There are several other performance venues available or soon to be available in Traverse City. What are the challenges and opportunities for the City Opera House in this environment?

GG: The idea, in a community such as ours, with a population such as ours...is that you have a variety of performance and flexible spaces.... [The Opera House] is the largest venue that would be available downtown, and it is one that provides the flexibility so that we will do so much more than the arts.

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JM: Is it easier to promote Traverse City as a cultural or arts destination or a heritage destination?

GG: I really do think the cultural is easier, but if we're going to go... [be a heritage destination,] as a whole, our community needs to get a whole lot more excited about historic preservation. ... What it's going to take...is a lot more working together between all of these [heritage and development] organizations.

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JM: Will the restored City Opera House once again fill its previous role in the community, or will it assume a whole new role?

GG: I do believe that the number of milestone events will be a smaller number.... However, that doesn't mean that the Opera House can't evolve into still being the kind of place that offers the ability to create community and synergy for downtown.

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