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Ford’s Grand Opera House

Description

A modern photographic print made from a glass plate negative showing Ford's Grand Opera House, usually called Ford's Theater, once located at 314-320 West Fayette Avenue, between North Howard and Eutaw Streets, in Baltimore, Maryland. The theater opened on October 2, 1871; it was built by Baltimore native John T. Ford (1829-1894) and designed by architect James J. Gifford. The three-story-tall structure featured a facade of pressed brick painted white and a mansard roof and could hold up to 2,000 patrons. The theater saw the first United States performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's "H.M.S. Pinafore" and became known as a tryout stage for Broadway bound shows. Beginning in 1946, the theater was the site of ongoing protests by Civil Rights activists against the Jim Crow policies that discriminated against Black patrons until the theater was desegregated in 1952. Performances were given at Ford's until February 1964 when it closed and was immediately razed for a parking lot.

Creator

Date

circa 1910

Language(s)

Collection Number

PP8

Dimensions

8 x 10 inches

Object ID

PP8.316

Extent

1 print

Resource ID

1186

Digital Publisher

Digital resource provided by the Maryland Center for History and Culture

Rights

This digital image is made available here for private study, scholarship, and research. Commercial and other uses are prohibited without the permission of the Maryland Center for History and Culture. For more information, visit the MCHC’s Reproductions and Permissions web page.