MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

The new Opera House extension and renovations – Featured Blog

By

Today’s posts from our featured Port Elizabeth Blogger:

The new Opera House extension and renovations by Port Elizabeth Daily Photo:

Yesterday’s post was a Then and Now post featuring the Port Elizabeth Opera House.  As the photo was taken from the street corner, the latest addition to the building wasn’t really that visible so I decided to post a second photo.  The wine coloured section is is the part that was built on to the original building in 1985 and was part of the extensive renovations that took place over the last year and was painted this was as part of the work.  The glass section right at the end is a new addition to the building and includes a lift that means the Opera House is now fully wheelchair friendly. 

Read more here: Port Elizabeth Daily Photo

Then and Now – The Port Elizabeth Opera House by Port Elizabeth Daily Photo:

The first meeting to discuss a new theatre for Port Elizabeth took place in 1890 after which a company was formed, shares sold and a site was agreed upon with the Town Council.  The building was designed by G.W. Smith and opened on 1 December 1892.  The first lessees of the building was B and F Wheeler who also presented the opening performance of JM Barrie’s “Walker, London”.  By 1916 the theatre was taken over by African Consolidated Theatres and they turned it into a cinema.  In 1961 the Opera House was offered to the Municipality to use as a civic theatre, but they refused.  Five years later, in 1966, the Cape Provincial Administration bought and renovated it.  
The Opera House was extended in 1985 and had extensive renovations and another extension added in 2015.  Today the Port Elizabeth Opera House is one of the oldest active Victorian Theatres in the world.  Said to be the oldest in the Southern Hemisphere.  
The historic information in this post was taken from Margaret Harradine’s excellent book, Port Elizabeth, A social chronicle to the end of 1945.

Read more here: Port Elizabeth Daily Photo

Click HERE to submit your blog to be part of this daily feature.

CLICK HERE to get a daily digest of PE Goodness straight into your inbox with the MyPE Monday to Friday Newsletter.

The following two tabs change content below.

Port Elizabethan

This author is a 'catch-all' for occasional articles and letters written to MyPE. The Author of each article can be found in the signature at the bottom of each individual article.