National Register of Historic Places

Parker's Opera House

Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
Listed
November 20, 1998
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
98001325

About this property

Parker's Opera House, also known as Opera House Store, Woolworth's and Parker Place, is a historic building located in Mason City, Iowa, United States. It was designed by the prominent Des Moines architect William Foster. Cousins H. G. and A. T. Parker built this structure as an opera house, the first in the community. While it initially filled a need in Mason City, it was replaced by more modern theatres around the turn of the 20th century. The third floor was added in 1909, spanning the middle of the auditorium. The first floor initially housed a clothing store, and was occupied by F. W. Woolworth Companystarting in the mid-1920s, while the upper floors housed the local offices of the Standard Oil Company at the same time. A two-story addition at the rear was built in the 1960s. The first floor was redesigned in 1997 for Central Park Dentistry and the upper floors were converted into apartments in 2013. Stone was used for both structural and decorative purposes and a metal cornice caps the main facade. The building was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, and was designated as a contributing property in the Mason City Downtown Historic District in 2005.

Location

23 N. Federal Ave.
Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
43.15287, -93.20068

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

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Questions about this property

When was Parker's Opera House listed on the National Register?

Parker's Opera House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 20, 1998.

What type of historic resource is Parker's Opera House?

Parker's Opera House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Parker's Opera House?

The period of significance for Parker's Opera House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Parker's Opera House?

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