Hall's Opera Block
Also known as: Clark's Opera House; Avon Opera Block
Why it's listed
Built in 1876 on part of the site of the United States Hotel, which burned in 1874, this three-story brick building on Genesee Street in Avon combined stores, offices and a third-floor auditorium. William E. Hall commissioned it, and the Avon firm Long and Watkins built it, probably without an architect. The Italianate front has cast iron storefronts made by the Washington Iron Works of Buffalo, brick window details and an elaborate bracketed wooden cornice. The auditorium held about 600 people and hosted touring theater companies, minstrel shows, local amateur productions, dances, lectures, graduations and roller skating. Speakers included Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Sojourner Truth. Walter Clark bought the building in 1896 and renamed it Clark's Opera House. Its stage and dressing rooms are covered with graffiti left by performers from the 1870s into the early twentieth century. The building was listed as a well-preserved example of a once-common community opera block, with high integrity inside and out.
Significance in brief: It is significant under Criterion C in Architecture as a well-preserved example of the multi-use commercial and recreational opera block type once common across New York State. Its exterior, with cast iron storefronts and a bracketed cornice, is little altered, and its third-floor auditorium is largely original. The stage and dressing rooms retain graffiti left by touring performers from the 1870s onward.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 06000884, listed September 29, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 15-19 Genesee St., Avon |
|---|---|
| County | Livingston County |
| Listed | September 29, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06000884 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1876-1930 |
| Architect / builder | Long and Watkins, builders |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Entertainment/Recreation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as vacant; the interior is described as little altered, with part of the auditorium ceiling missing and the roof temporarily propped after water damage. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Within district | Avon Village Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.91171, -77.74652 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 06000884.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5642529
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.