Palmo's Opera House

Palmo's Opera House (afterword Burton's Theater and the Chambers Street Theatre) was a 19th-century theatre in Manhattan, New York that was located on Chambers Street between Broadway and Centre Street. It was one of the earliest opera houses in New York before it was converted into one of the earliest Broadway theatres. The theatre was conceived by Ferdinand Palmo, an Italian immigrant and successful restaurateur in New York City. It was located inside the former Stoppani's Arcade Baths building. Modest alteration to the building was done in 1843 to convert the building into a theater.

In 1848 opera performances at Palmo's Opera House ceased and the theater was leased to William Evans Burton. It was rechristened the Burton's Theater and became a performance venue for plays and other theatrical entertainments. It operated under that name until 1856 when the theater was leased to Edward Eddy and it was rebranded again as the Chambers Street Theatre. The theatre operated under that name until it closed in 1864. The building was then leased to the United States Government, and was used as a Federal Court building until it was demolished in 1876.

Palmo's Opera House opened on February 3, 1844 with a production of Bellini's I puritani with Euphrasia Borghese as Elvira, Emma Albertazzi as Henrietta, and Michael Rapetti conducting. This was soon followed by performances of Bellini's Beatrice di Tenda and the New York premiere of Donizetti's Belisario. In April 1844 the theater staged Rossini's The Barber of Seville with basso buffo Antonio Sanquirico making his professional stage debut as Dr Bartolo. The following month the opera house presented the operas La sonnambula and L'elisir d'amore for their first presentations in the original Italian language in New York City.

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