The Orillia Opera House

8.2 / 10

open now, until 17:00

Performance art theatre

In the heart of Orillia stands a fairy-tale building. Since 1895, the City has dreamed, laughed, wep In the very heart of Orillia sits a fairy-tale building, and inside that building, legends are born. For over 117 years, the City has dreamed, laughed, wept and fought inside the Orillia Opera House. Many of the City’s defining moments have taken place under its landmark twin spires. Read more Not long after Orillia became a village, residents began to think about moving the market from its location near the waterfront. After a few years of debate, a landowner named Goldwin Smith agreed to donate a half-acre lot on the northwest corner of Mississaga and West Streets. In return, the Village had to clear Mississaga Street West of stumps so Smith could subdivide another parcel of his land up the street. Some people in the Village wanted nothing more than a good large shed and a few stalls put up in the market for farmers. But the Village Councillors wanted a new town hall to replace the Temperance Hall and a proper lock-up for the rowdies that plagued their lumber town. Arguments over the building of the hall delayed its opening, and Council finally had its first meeting in the new hall August 7, 1874. This Town Hall and lock-up served well from 1874 to 1877. Council again decided something grander was needed for both the shed and town hall, and after a few false starts, tenders were called for, based on plans prepared by the Toronto architectural firm of Gordon and Halliwell and the Opera House was completed in 1895. It cost taxpayers $25,000 and held the Council Chamber, auditorium, City Hall offices, market stalls and eventually the lock-up. The Opera House, described as “the finest building for corporation purposes of any town in Ontario”, became an immediate source of pride for Orillia. The auditorium had 905 seats with an exquisite wrap around balcony common to the formal Opera Houses of Europe, which might have contributed to its name. Unfortunately, fire broke out in July 6, 1915 and destroyed most of the building. The last of the debentures for the building had just been paid and Orillians did not want to pay much more for a new theatre. Council had to get the taxpayers’ approval to borrow large amounts of money in those days. The Toronto firm of Burke, Horwood and White was retained to prepare plans for the reconstruction. Council and Update description

Address:

20 Mississauga St W
Orillia

Telephone:

1-705-326-8011

Web site:

orilliaoperahouse.ca ⇒

Opening hours:

Thursday: 12:00-17:00

Friday: 12:00-17:00

Saturday: 12:00-17:00

On facebook:

Yes ⇒

Change info:

here ⇒

Reviews Updates (5)

Review The Orillia Opera House

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Updates from The Orillia Opera House

The Orillia Opera H. 2018-01-13
Coming to see The Lord of the Rings trilogy screening Monday nights at 7pm on Feb. 5, 12, and 19? Saturday, Feb. 3 is your LAST CHANCE to purchase your tickets to all 3 screenings of LOTR playing here at #TheOOH for $20! This special bundle price gets you

The Orillia Opera H. 2018-01-12
The Banff Mountain Film Festival is still on tonight at 7pm! Drive safely and we'll see you here at #TheOOH!

The Orillia Opera H. 2018-01-12
Join the Orillia Parks, Recreation and Culture department at Rotary Place next Wednesday, January 17 from 4-7pm for a JOB FAIR! Details at www.orillia.ca

The Orillia Opera H. 2018-01-11
NEXT SATURDAY: Celtic Rock family-oriented band MUDMEN perform here ar #TheOOH on Saturday, January 20 at 8pm! They inspire a party the minute they hit the stage - don't miss it! Get your tickets NOW! Tickets are available online anytime http://bit.ly/2k

The Orillia Opera H. 2018-01-11
Tickets are $10.00pp OR special rate of $20.00 for all 3 films (until Sat. Feb. 3) Box Office ONLY. General Admission. Monday Feb. 5 at 7:00 The Fellowship of the Ring ; Mon. Feb. 12 at 7:00, The Two Towers; Mon. Feb. 19 at 7:00, The Return of the King ht

Popularity of The Orillia Opera House

Social Media Popularity Score:

8.2 / 10

This value is based on the number of visitors, checkins, and likes on Facebook in the last few months.

Most activity in March:

The Orillia Opera House has a total of 6981 visitors (checkins) and 3724 likes.

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The Orillia Opera House

Review The Orillia Opera House

Updates from The Orillia Opera House

Popularity of The Orillia Opera House

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