Napa Valley Opera House
This late nineteenth-century Victorian building was once a flourishing destination for music and theatre lovers, before closing in 1914 and remaining vacant for many decades. ARG was the architect for a multi-phase effort to restore the building which culminated in a 2003 reopening and included the addition of a new cabaret theatre and bar. The main second floor theatre is now fully accessible and retains its elegant stairway and balcony.
BEHIND THE SCENES
ARG began working with the Opera House Board in 1984, assisting them in their long-term efforts to raise funds for the project, from initial exterior restoration in 1996 to the grand reopening in 2003.
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To increase the theatre’s functionality, the rear wall was demolished and the stage and backstage extended; Napa’s patrons willingly attended fundraising concerts in the half-completed building.
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The new hall holds a code-compliant 500 concert-goers, a far cry from its Victorian-era capacity of 1,300.
Photography by David Wakely