{"nrhp_refnum":"78002442","name":"Arch Street Opera House","other_names":["Troc, The"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1003--1005 Arch St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.953720642000064,"lon":-75.15649437799993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-06-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Performing Arts"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick former opera house and theater on Arch Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, extending through to Appletree Street, now known as the Troc. It was erected in 1870 from plans by Edwin F. Durang.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is significant for the high degree of preservation of its late Victorian theater interior, remodelled in the 1890s, which it describes as better preserved than any theater or concert hall in Philadelphia except the Academy of Music. It also notes the building's long history as a burlesque house from the late nineteenth century until after World War II.","narrative":"Built in 1870 to plans by Edwin F. Durang, the two-story brick Arch Street Opera-House extends about 170 feet from Arch Street to Appletree Street. It opened on 20 August 1870 for minstrelsy under Simmons and Slocum, burned in 1872, and was rebuilt. A fire in 1883 required reconstruction of the interior, which was remodelled again in 1891, 1894 and 1896, the last under the supervision of George W. Plowman. The building became the Trocadero in 1896 and was shortened to the Troc in 1949. From the late nineteenth century until after World War II it operated as Philadelphia's premier burlesque house. Its interior, with mirrored orchestra walls, plaster box ornament, a decorated proscenium, stenciled ceiling garlands and two cast-iron balconies, survives largely intact. Its preservation is considered unusual among Philadelphia theaters.","period_of_significance":"1870-1896","architect_builder":"Edwin F. Durang (1870); George W. Plowman (1896)","architectural_style":"Late Victorian","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The document states the theater is about to close and be restored to its late-nineteenth-century appearance, with a new owner proposing use for Chinese cinema and drama.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:28.825366-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/78002442.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002442/bfcd637e37-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002442/bfcd637e37-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Morris Levin","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TrocaderoTheater_20160115.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Morris Levin</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TrocaderoTheater_20160115.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"84003531","name":"East Center City Commercial Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/east-center-city-commercial-historic-district-84003531/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997414","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trocadero_Theatre","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7844815"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/arch-street-opera-house-78002442/"}