Kiel Opera House
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Facade of the Peabody Opera House
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| Former names | Municipal Auditorium (1934-1943) Kiel Opera House (1943-2010) |
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| Address | 1400 Market Street St. Louis, Missouri United States |
| Coordinates | 38°37′40″N 90°12′07″W / 38.6277°N 90.2019°WCoordinates: 38°37′40″N 90°12′07″W / 38.6277°N 90.2019°W |
| Owner | Sports Capital Partners |
| Type | Performance venue |
| Capacity | 3,100 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 21 April 1934 |
| Rebuilt | 2009-2011 |
| Architect | LaBeaume and Klein |
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Kiel Opera House
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| Area | 6.4 acres (2.6 ha) |
| NRHP Reference # | 00000016 |
| Added to NRHP | February 11, 2000 |
The Peabody Opera House (formerly known as the Kiel Opera House) is a civic performing arts building located in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded as the Kiel Opera House, it opened in 1934 and operated until 1991, when it and the adjacent Kiel Auditorium were closed so the auditorium could be demolished and replaced by the Scottrade Center. When the auditorium was slated for demolition, the owners of the complex promised to rehabilitate the opera house as well. The owners, however, never renovated the building, instead claiming that they had fulfilled their financial obligations. In June 2009, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen voted 25–1 to subsidize the renovation and reopening of the Opera House under the direction of its new owners, Sports Capital Partners. The subsidies were funded by municipal bonds and state/federal historic tax credits. On July 12, 2010, it was announced that the name of the opera house would be changed to the Peabody Opera House, named after the company Peabody Energy. The renovation lasted for fourteen months and included the construction of a new entrance for the building.
On October 1, 2011, the Peabody Opera House opened for the first time since the $79 million renovation. The show featured personalities such as Jay Leno, Aretha Franklin, and Chuck Berry and was attended by a full house of 3,100.
On June 20, 1965, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. with Johnny Carson as the emcee (subbing for Joey Bishop who was out with a bad back) performed their only televised concert together during the heyday of the Rat Pack at The Kiel Opera House. A closed-circuit broadcast done as a fundraiser for Dismas House (the first halfway house for ex-convicts). After being thought lost for thirty years, Paul Brownstein tracked down a print of the show that had been sitting in a closet in St. Louis. It has since been broadcast on Nick at Nite (in 1998) as part The Museum of Television & Radio Showcase series and released on DVD as part of the "Ultimate Rat Pack Collection: Live & Swingin'".
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