National Register of Historic Places

Pella Opera House

Pella, Marion County, Iowa
Listed
March 20, 1992
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
91001080

About this property

The Pella Opera House is a historic building located in Pella, Iowa, United States. Herman Rietveld, a local businessman and promoter, was the main backer for building the opera house, which was underwritten by the Pella Opera House Association. A previous opera house had been destroyed in a fire in the late 19th century. Pella architect Henry DeGooyer designed the four story, brick Romanesque Revival structure. He used the opera house in Sioux City, Iowa, as his guide. The locally produced orange-colored bricks are said to be distinctive to Pella. The opera house opened in November 1900 and regularly served its intended purpose for only a few years. After that it sporadically hosted stage performances until 1918. The building was converted into a commercial building at that time. It continued to serve that purpose until the 1980s when the Pella Opera House Commission acquired the property and converted back into a live entertainment venue. A Des Moines architect, Lawrence M. Erickson, was architect for the rehabilitation project, completed in 1990. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

Location

611 Franklin St.
Pella, Marion County, Iowa
41.40627, -92.91430

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

Peoples Nationals Bank
Industrial
0.1 mi
Van Maren, Henry and Johanna, House-Diamond Filling Station
Industrial
0.1 mi
Tuttle, Thomas F. and Nancy, House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Scholte, Dominie Henry P., House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Pella High School
Industrial
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Pella Opera House listed on the National Register?

Pella Opera House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 20, 1992.

What type of historic resource is Pella Opera House?

Pella Opera House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Pella Opera House?

The period of significance for Pella Opera House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Pella Opera House?

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