Grand Opera House

Historic Theater Opened In 1871 As The Masonic Grand Opera House, With A White Painted Cast Iron Second Empire Facade On Market Street, Now Delaware'S Center For The Performing Arts · Wilmington, Delaware

The Grand Opera House stands on Market Street in downtown Wilmington, a few steps from Rodney Square. It opened in 1871 as the Masonic Grand Opera House, built by the Masons with their lodge rooms above the theater, and its front is its calling card: a cast-iron facade in the Second Empire style, painted white and cast to look like carved stone, with tall arched windows and a mansard roof. Like many downtown theaters it slid through the 20th century as a movie house and then sat run down, until a restoration campaign from the 1970s onward brought it back as Delaware's Center for the Performing Arts. The main hall seats about 1,200 in a horseshoe of orchestra and balconies and hosts touring music acts, comedians, dance, family shows and holiday programs; OperaDelaware and the Delaware Symphony Orchestra have performed here, so confirm the season. The Grand also runs a smaller second stage next door, the baby grand. Nobody comes for the building alone - you come for the show - but it is a handsome Victorian room to sit in, with the tight seats and steep upper balcony that come with it.

818 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 19801, United States

The Grand is a performance venue, not a daytime attraction, so its hours are the show schedule: most events are evening performances, with some weekend matinees and holiday family shows, and the theater is dark on many nights, especially in the heat of summer; confirm the calendar before you plan around it. Doors usually open well before curtain, often about an hour, and late arrivals may be held at the back until a suitable break, so allow time for parking downtown. The box office on Market Street keeps limited daytime hours on weekdays and opens before performances; confirm its hours, since it is not staffed all day every day, and buy online or by phone through the Grand's own channels. The baby grand next door runs its own, smaller program on its own nights. Building tours are not a daily offering; they are arranged occasionally or for groups, so ask. The lobby and any bars close shortly after the final curtain, and the downtown decks may keep their own closing times, so check where you parked.

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