Its reconstruction required vast sums of money (nearly a million dollars in total), but the 35 shareholders of the “Metropolitan Opera and Real Estate Company” believed it was essential for New York to have such a hall and accepted the project.

Despite the promises of a building being capable of withstanding fire, the opera hall ignited instantly, and the flames spread quickly due to the faulty sprinkler system and wooden decorations.Ī full house at the old Metropolitan Opera House, seen from the rear of the stage, at a concert by pianist Josef Hofmann, November 28, 1937Īfter existing for only nine years, the auditorium was entirely ravaged. On August 27, 1892, a set painter dropped his cigarette into a bucket of paint thinner. This anecdote told by the soprano Lilli Lehmann partially introduces the story of the beginning of a new opera house in 1883, the famous Metropolitan Opera in New York.Ī bad start of the fire at the right time One night when the wife of an heir to the Vanderbilt family (the richest in the United States at the time) found herself in a position of “less favorable” view, her husband decided to build the most lavish opera house, so his wife could fully enjoy the experience. The room was small, but the wealthy spectators who could afford a place there were very proud to display their privilege.

In the middle of the 19th century, New York opera lovers adored visiting the Academy of Music Opera House.

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