User:Abminor/Crosby Opera House
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The Crosby Opera House was an opera house that was constructed by Uranus Crosby in 1865.[1] It was demolished on October 8, 1871 after it caught fire from the Great Chicago Fire.
Creation
[edit]Uranus Crosby, who was awarded as a distiller, used his money to create the Opera House. The Opera house was opened on April 20, 1865 [2] After the initial construction Uranus' budget was severely compromised.
Events
[edit]The Opera House held the 1868 Republican National Convention from May 20 to May 21, 1868.[3]
Destruction
[edit]When the Great Chicago fire set off, the House caught the fire and it burned.[1] In January of 1867, Crosby announced he was broke as he was therefore holding a lottery. Two-hundred-ten thousand tickets would be sold at $5 each. A drawing was conducted after 185,000 tickets had been sold. A retired ship's captain from Prairie de Rocher, Abraham H. Lee, won the lottery and was awarded the Opera house; it had been built at a cost in excess of $600,000.00. Captain Lee then sold the Opera House back to Crosby for $200.000.00. It was estimated that Crosby was $650,000.00 to the good after the lottery. [4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b http://www.tfaoi.com/permc/perm4.htm
- ^ Zietz, Karyl Lynn. "1". The National Trust guide to great opera houses in America. John Wiley and Sons Inc. p. 31. ISBN 0-471-14421-5.
- ^ http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/837764452.html?dids=837764452:837764452&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=May+21%2C+1868&author=&pub=Hartford+Courant&desc=THE+CONVENTION&pqatl=google
- ^ Harry Hansen The Chicago from The Rivers of America series