Astor Opera House

The Astor Opera House was an opera house in Lower Manhattan featuring Classical Revival architecture with prominent columns and cushioned seating instead of wooden benches. The building stood on Lafayette Street between Astor Place and East 8th Street and could accommodate several hundred spectators.

The opera house opened in 1847 and presented the American premiere of Verdi's Nabucco in 1848 under Cesare Lietti's management. Operations came to a sudden end following the violent riots of 1849, which transformed the building's future and the city's theater world.

The opera house enforced formal dress codes that made attendance a mark of social status, attracting only the wealthiest New Yorkers who could meet those expectations.

The building was located at a central spot in Manhattan, easily reachable on foot from Astor Place, a well-known neighborhood landmark. Visitors should note that formal clothing was required for entry, and the site sits in a densely built area today.

The venue is forever linked to the Astor Place Riot of 1849, one of the bloodiest conflicts between Americans and the British over rival theater actors. This uprising brought the opera house to a permanent end and left deep marks on Manhattan's cultural history.