{"nrhp_refnum":"70000196","name":"Grand Opera House","other_names":["Academy of Music"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"651 Mulberry St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Macon","county":"Bibb County","state":"GA","lat":32.83875445100006,"lon":-83.62827417999995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1970-06-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A historic theater at 651 Mulberry Street in Macon, Bibb County, Georgia, first opened in 1884 as the Academy of Music. The auditorium is reached through the lobby of a seven-story office building added in front in 1905.","why_significant":"The nomination stresses that Macon citizens from many backgrounds saved the threatened theater and returned it to its original use and appearance. It also records three phases of architectural evolution (1884, 1905 and 1969-70) and a long history of live performance, from vaudeville and opera to concerts.","narrative":"Rising behind a seven-story office building on Mulberry Street in Macon, this theater began as the Academy of Music, which opened on September 22, 1884. Alexander Blair designed it in a Ruskinian Gothic style, and it was the most ambitious theatrical building the city had seen, with seating for 2,418 and a stage measuring 58 by 90 feet. In 1905 the front section was replaced by the office block, W.R. Gunn renovated the auditorium, and it reopened as the Grand Opera House. Performers over the years included Sarah Bernhardt, Will Rogers and Fritz Kreisler. Around 1930 it became a movie house, and by 1967 it faced demolition. Citizens formed the Macon Arts Council, and architect Ellamae Ellis League directed a restoration in 1969-70 that reopened the theater on April 6, 1970. The listing recognizes both the building's layered architecture and the community effort that saved it.","period_of_significance":"1884; 1905; 1969-1970","architect_builder":"Alexander Blair (1884 Academy of Music); W.R. Gunn (1905 renovation); Ellamae Ellis League (1969-70 restoration); Chris Sheridan, general contractor for the restoration","architectural_style":"Ruskinian Gothic (original 1884 Academy of Music)","criteria":[],"status_note":"In good condition and in use as a theater for live performances; restored and reopened to the public April 6, 1970, and leased by Bibb County to the Macon Arts Council.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:41.189677-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/70000196.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000196/f5a98db928-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000196/f5a98db928-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Rheave","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GrandOpera.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Rheave</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GrandOpera.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"74000658","name":"Macon Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/georgia/macon-historic-district-74000658/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93207023","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Opera_House_(Macon,_Georgia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5594849"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/bibb-county/grand-opera-house-70000196/"}