Reed Opera House and McCornack Block Addition, 19th century opera house in downtown Salem, United States.
The Reed Opera House is an Italianate brick building designed by architect G. W. Rhodes, completed in 1870. Its ground floor held seven shops, with the opera house occupying the second and third floors and a hotel in the remaining space. A two-story McCornack Block addition, built in 1902 for a furniture store, adjoins it. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Construction began in 1869 to designs by architect G. W. Rhodes, under a contract Cyrus Adams Reed held with the State of Oregon to house the legislature, supreme court and state library. Elected officials withdrew from that contract while the building was nearly finished, so Reed added seven ground-floor shops, an opera house on the second and third floors and a hotel in the leftover space. It opened on September 27, 1870 with the inaugural ball for Governor La Fayette Grover, and the theater closed on April 20, 1900 after the Grand Theater opened nearby.
The name honours Cyrus Adams Reed, who built it and opened it on 27 September 1870 with the inaugural ball of Governor La Fayette Grover. Its stage hosted Susan B. Anthony, Mark Twain, Thomas Nast and John Philip Sousa's band. Today the ground floor, mezzanine and upper levels hold boutiques and restaurants, and vintage Jantzen Swimwear advertisements hang in the public areas.
The Reed occupies a downtown Salem block, with the 1902 McCornack Block addition attached to the original 1870 building. Its lower level, first floor, mezzanine and second floor hold retail boutiques and restaurants, so the interior is seen by walking through the arcade rather than from outside. Look up for the replicated rooftop pediment, corona and brackets, and for the vintage Jantzen Swimwear advertisements Roger Yost placed in the public areas.
The building's 1869 origin lies in a contract to house Oregon's legislature, supreme court and state library; when officials withdrew, Cyrus Adams Reed added seven ground-floor shops, an opera house above and a hotel in the leftover space. Owner Roger Yost later hung vintage Jantzen Swimwear advertisements through the public areas.
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