Metropolitan Opera House

When the Metropolitan Opera House opened in 1899 it was considered the most impressive theater in Iowa. Designed in the Italian Renaissance style, the historic theater boasts many decorative features including an arched main entrance featuring a keystone bust of William Shakespeare, a variety of musical emblems, and the masks of comedy and tragedy. The facade includes two pairs of round windows, three sets of rectangular windows, and two sets of columns supporting friezes and cornices. The windows feature decorative elements including window hoods and finials. The Opera House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and continues to operate as a theater thanks to a restoration effort that was completed in 2013.

Businessman Eugene S. Ellsworth, who was one of Iowa Falls' leading figures at the turn-of-the century, built the theater. Ellsworth, who earned his fortune in real estate, was an interesting man. He built the city's first golf course, established a zoo, and in 1882 built the first steamboat that sailed on Sprit Lake. Why exactly he decided to build the opera house is unclear but he spared no expense in its design and construction. It was modern for its time, boasted excellent acoustics, and had 800 seats. It also had two private boxes, one for Ellsworth and another for special guests, plush drapes, tapestry upholstered chairs, and painted Pompeiian red and ivory trim on the tapestried walls.

The opera house was a popular movie and live performance venue for many years. It attracted a variety of famous artists, including composer John Philip Sousa, and hosted a wide range of theatrical productions including vaudeville acts, high school plays, and Shakespeare plays. Eventually, it was converted into a two-screen movie theater. It was restored in 2013 and hosted a grand reopening with rural premiers of the movies Prisoners and The Wolverine, both starring Hugh Jackman, who came for the event.

"History of the Met." Metropolitan Opera House. Accessed November 3, 2021. https://www.iowafallsmet.com/historyof.

Powers, Richard M. "Metropolitan Opera House." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. February 20, 1975. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/786f0e62-fdad-4e9f-bb46-187a024c88bb.