NYC, Metropolitan Opera House Audience, 1888

NYC, Metropolitan Opera House Audience, 1888

Interior of the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, with an audience of over 3,500 People, on the occasion of Max Alvary's 100th Appearance in Wagner's "Siegfried". Sometimes referred to as "the old Met", the Metropolitan Opera House opened on October 22, 1883. It was located at 1411 Broadway, occupying the block between West 39th Street and West 40th Street. Nicknamed "The Yellow Brick Brewery" for its industrial looking exterior, the original Met was designed by J. Cleaveland Cady and had a seating capacity of 3,625. While the theater was noted for its excellent acoustics and elegant interior, as early as the 1900s the backstage facilities were deemed to be severely inadequate for a large opera company. The Met's scenery and sets were a regular sight leaning against the building outside on 39th Street where they had to be shifted between performances. The Met said goodbye to its old house on April 16, 1966, with a farewell performance featuring nearly all of the company's current leading artists. Despite a campaign to preserve the theater, it failed to obtain landmark status and was razed in 1967. Photographed by Ernest Marx, 1888.

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4200 x 3355 px | 40.3 MB

35.6 x 28.4 cm | 14.0 x 11.2 in (300 dpi)