{"nrhp_refnum":"78002991","name":"Millett Opera House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"110 E. 9th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Austin","county":"Travis County","state":"TX","lat":30.270799470000043,"lon":-97.74065046799996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-03-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Performing Arts"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A limestone opera house at 110 East 9th Street in Austin, Travis County, Texas, completed in 1878 for lumber and construction businessman Charles Millett and designed by architect F.E. Ruffini.","why_significant":"For about sixteen years it was Austin's center of cultural and social life, hosting touring theatrical stars, lectures, concerts, conventions and even skating and boxing. It was the state's second largest theatre, and its 56-foot trusses gave it the largest span of any building in Texas. It also briefly served as a meeting place for the Texas legislature while the new Capitol was built.","narrative":"Completed in 1878 at 110 East 9th Street, the Millett Opera House gave Austin its first true theatre. Lumber and construction businessman Charles Millett financed the two-story limestone building, which architect F.E. Ruffini designed. With 56-foot trusses beneath a gambrel roof, it had the largest span of any building in Texas, and its 800 seats could hold a notable share of the city's population. For about sixteen years it was the focus of Austin's cultural life, hosting touring stars such as Edwin Booth, lectures by William Jennings Bryan, concerts, conventions, dances, boxing and roller skating. It also served briefly as a temporary meeting place for the Texas legislature. After a larger opera house opened, the building was converted to a dance hall, gained a third story and a full second floor, and was remodeled by the Knights of Columbus in 1911. It has been used for business since 1929, and the original pediment and anthemia remain.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"F.E. Ruffini (architect); Charles Millett (financier/builder)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as occupied, in good condition and used as a business office, with exterior changes from the 1896 and 1911 remodelings; the nomination lists an office supply company as tenant since 1956.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.511467-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/75/9737/40973775/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/78002991.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002991/0a0aef9b8f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002991/0a0aef9b8f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Dtobias","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Millett-opera-house-austin.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Dtobias</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:Millett-opera-house-austin.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973775","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millett_Opera_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6859447"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/travis-county/millett-opera-house-78002991/"}