The Pella Opera House, on its original location at 611 Franklin St. had gone through a series of changes to its facade while the interior was in need of major repair. In a kind of reverse Cinderella story, the Opera House with the help of many Pella citizens once again resembles the grand building it was when it first opened in 1900.

That year Pella was ready for a new place to hold cultural activities such as musicals, plays, vaudeville shows, banquets, and other parties. According to an article written by Ray Koenigs in the 1986 Pella History Book an earlier Opera House had been built in 1860. That building had been destroyed in a fire in 1883 and it was three years before there was talk of building a replacement. On July 21, 1900 ground was broken and construction began.

The building was designed by Architect Stanley De Gooyer and was built and largely financed by Herman Rietveld, owner of the Pella Drain and Tile Company. The Pella Advertiser of Nov. 8, 1900 says that Mr. Rietveld has done more for the building interests of Pella than any other man in our city. The building in which Smokey Row is located is another building constructed of bricks from his company. He also built several buildings in Harvey and Monroe, the hometown of his first wife Frances Ota Livingston. A business man with many interests, he was involved in banking, newspaper publishing, various manufacturing businesses and farming.

Today in the triangle at the top of the Opera House one can read the words Opera House Block. Block in this case is a reference to a business area building rather than a city block. The building was 65 feet high, 120 feet long and 40 feet wide. A few days before its opening the Pella Advertiser stated that the ground floor will be devoted to offices, an implement room, a heating plant for the entire building as well as the box office and grand staircase leading to the second floor theater. The stage is 28 feet in depth with an opening 18x 20 and fitted with the latest scenery from the finest studios in the US. There was also a balcony and above that on the 4th floor will be a large room with a Brussels carpet, fit for receptions and banquets. Hundreds of incandescent lights will illuminate the interior.

The opening play on Saturday Nov. 16, 1900 at 12:30 was “What Happened to Jones?” The critic who reviewed the performance praised the orchestra but complained that the play itself was devoid of any real plot to give it an interest and consisted in the sandwiching of jokes both new and old between the flimsy makeshift of a plot.

For several years admission prices remained at 25, 35, and 50 cents. The management secured a variety of entertainment ranging from vaudeville acts to the world renowned Hungarian Orchestra, which received rave reviews in New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. In Dec. 1901 the review critic states that 500 people attended the “Enemy to the Queen”, a tragic play while reviews of other events report that the attendance was not what it should be.

Building a large opera house that could accommodate 1000 in its various rooms seems a bit optimistic for Pella, which had a population of 3000 in 1900. However, it was difficult to travel very far so every town depended on the entertainment coming to them. Nor could the builders have imagined that in a few years silent movies, not musicals and plays, would become the main attraction. Although the Pella Opera House added silent movies to its entertainment as soon as they became available, just down the street at 725 Franklin, Henry De Gooyer opened the Electric Palace. Here silent movies accompanied by mood music were shown from 1908 to 1917. Seeking to persuade patrons of the Opera House that movies were a suitable form of entertainment a 1905 advertisement assures there is nothing coarse, nothing vulgar, nothing rude about them. They are an enjoyable instructive entertainment for ladies, gentlemen and children– a solid 2 hours of bright, happy motion pictures accompanied by appropriate sounds and sensational stage effects.

In Jan. 25, 1906 a Chronicle article says that Manager J. S. Gladstone and Rich Sybenga have purchased a pop making machine in Chicago for $3000. This was to be installed in the basement of the opera house to manufacture all kinds and flavors of pop, as well as ginger ale, soda, seltzer water and birch beer.

Mr. Gladstone also encouraged local talent to make more use of the theater. In the spring of 1906 the high school play “By the Enemy’s Hands” was performed there. Directed by Mrs. H. D. Wormhoudt, the student actors were Harry De Reus, Alonzo Wormhoudt, Walker Sadler, Martin Paardekooper, Herman Todd, Sam Van Vliet, Tunis Klein, Laura Kramer, Margaret Van Niewaal, Gertie Renaud, Harriet Rietveld, Percy Leland, Harry Vander Linden and Marion Gosselink.

In 1909 the Chronicle reports that the Opera House was being used in a variety of ways including the local Democrat Convention and a r

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See and Do

• Pella Opera House Pella (0.0 miles) - The Pella Opera House, on its original location at 611 Franklin St. had gone through a series of cha...
• Pella Opera House Pella (0.0 miles) - The Pella Opera House is a historic building located in Pella, Iowa, United States. Herman Rietveld,...
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• Pella Historical Society and Museums Pella (0.1 miles) - You'll feel as if you've traveled to the Old World when you come to Pella....no passport req...