We often associate opera houses with a luxurious cultured lifestyle. A place to go and listen to classical music and watch performances that date back to the music and visions of musicians from the 17th and 18th centuries. Even in the early 20th century, Opera Houses functioned like movie theaters do today, as a place to go to be entertained. Few Opera Houses in Connecticut have survived the onslaught of time and changing entertainment preferences. One that is still standing and in need of help is the Ansonia Opera House.
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| Courtesy Anthony Mullin |
Ansonia's Opera House is still standing although it has not hosted a performance in more than half a century and, it is also the source of some very strange legends. You may ask why did Ansonia have an Opera House. It is the result of the manufacturing boom that took place after the Civil War throughout the Brass Valley, known today as the Naugatuck River Valley. Because of the number of factories and people living and working in the mills in Ansonia, the town decided that they needed a large meeting and entertainment space for performers to stop at along their circuit. Hence, the Ansonia Opera House was conceived and built.
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| Courtesy Anthony Mullin |
The Ansonia Opera House, Connecticut's oldest, was built by one of Connecticut's foremost architects, Robert Wakeman Hill, is located on 100 Main Street in Ansonia between1869-1870. It served as the premier theatre in the area until 1919. The first level of the building housed shops. On the second floor after ascending a grand staircase, is a promenade that once housed offices. The promenade leads to the third-floor grand hall and a welcoming proscenium arch. The Opera House maintained its prominence until the labor riots of 1919 and the coming of the trolleys that took people everywhere including nearby New Haven for entertainment.
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| Courtesy Anthony Mullin |
Today, the opera house is in need of restoration and a vision. Many trespassers have entered the premises over the past 50 years. Some of those are paranormal investigators looking for signs of activity. Some investigators claim to have seen a great deal of paranormal activity that includes ghostly orbs and floating lights from nowhere, and some have encountered a nine-year-old boy. Whatever you believe, keep in mind that Ansonia hosted Connecticut's first-ever paranormal convention in the summer of 2021 called PARACONN and the second convention will be held on July 16-17, 2022 in Ansonia at the Haunted Ansonia Armory.
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| Courtesy Anthony Mullin |
Regardless, this is a building that should be saved and maintained... it is used for a variety of abandoned photography shoots but could be so much more. For more information check out the Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/Ansoniaoperahouse
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