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Pennsylvania
Grand Opera House
Thursday, May 4, 1882
The Decorative Arts
Newspaper reports
Harrisburg Daily Independent, May 5, 1882, 4
The Harrisburg Report Patriot, May 5, 1882, 5
Harrisburg Telegraph, May 4, 1882, 4
Grand Opera House
SE corner of N. Third and Walnut Streets, Harrisburg, PA
Opened: October 13, 1873 (Masonic Fraternity; Architect: Frank E. Davis)
Seating capacity: 1324
Destroyed (fire): February 1, 1907
Replaced by: Penn-Harris Hotel (b. 1910, demolished 1923)
Lochiel Hotel
Corner of Market and 3rd Streets, Harrisburg, PA (now 225 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101)
Built: 1835-36 as the Greek Revival Wilson Hotel
Adapted: 1870s mansard roof and facade details
Repurposed: 1912 as a vaudeville theater and later a movie house
Restored: 2008, building extant
Wilde took rooms at a hotel to change and rest, something he often did even if not staying overnight, as was the case in Harrisburg. After the lecture Wilde returned to his rooms and gave an interview to the Harrisburg Telegraph before catching the 11:30 PM train to New York. (See story below under Ephemera).
Opposite are views of the extant structure at various stages in its existence.
The present day building has been sensitively restored since its days as a rundown movie theatre. The pediments over the windows, the first floor “balcony” railing, and the main ground floor windows all match the original building.
Related:
Lochiel Hotel and Colonial Theater (HMdb.org)
* Not to be confused with the restaurant styled as The 901 Lounge at Lochiel Hotel, Shanois St, Harrisburg, PA 17104.
Trouble at the Station
Wilde finds himself at the center of an international incident.
Harrisburg Telegraph, May 5, 1882, 1.
Oscar Wilde In America | © John Cooper, 2023
