{"nrhp_refnum":"72001037","name":"Victory Theater Building","other_names":["Turner's Opera House","Music Hall","Grand Opera House","Victoria O"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"138 N. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Dayton","county":"Montgomery County","state":"OH","lat":39.761847456000055,"lon":-84.19223014699998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-06-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story Victorian commercial and theater building at 138 North Main Street in Dayton, Ohio, first built as the Turner brothers' opera house, opened in 1866 and rebuilt after fires in 1869 and 1917.","why_significant":"The building housed one of Dayton's principal theaters, later called the Music Hall, Grand Opera House, Victoria Theater and Victory Theater, where many noted actors performed. Its front facade survives from the original 1860s opera house, and it was nominated for its significance in theater and music. It was nominated on an emergency basis because the owner planned to demolish it.","narrative":"Located at 138 North Main Street in Dayton, this Victorian building began as an opera house built by brewers William and Joseph Turner, with contractor John Rouzer. It opened on January 1, 1866, and admirers called it the finest theater west of Philadelphia. Fire destroyed it in 1869, but the stone front survived and the interior was rebuilt in 1871. Floods in 1913 and another fire in 1917 brought further repairs, and the auditorium was rebuilt each time. The facade combines Victorian Italianate details, including arched windows and metal cornice brackets, with a Second Empire mansard roof. Over the years it was renamed Music Hall, Grand Opera House, Victoria Theater and finally Victory Theater. Performers included Maude Adams, Katharine Hepburn, Noel Coward and Tallulah Bankhead. Talking pictures ended its run as a legitimate theater in 1930, and it closed in 1971. Shops, offices and a dance studio occupy the remaining space. It was listed because of its theatrical and musical importance and the threat of demolition.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"John Rouzer, contractor","architectural_style":"Victorian Italianate with Second Empire roof elements","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as excellent but altered. The theater closed after its last show on August 5, 1971. Commercial shops, offices and a dance studio occupy the rest of the building.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:10.226702-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/72001037.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100004316","name":"Downtown Dayton Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/ohio/downtown-dayton-historic-district-100004316/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71990617","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Theatre_(Dayton,_Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7927084"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/montgomery-county/victory-theater-building-72001037/"}