Porter County Memorial Opera Hall
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Porter County Memorial Hall
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Porter County Memorial Hall in 2004
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| Location | 104 Indiana Ave., Valparaiso, Indiana |
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| Coordinates | 41°28′0″N 87°3′33″W / 41.46667°N 87.05917°WCoordinates: 41°28′0″N 87°3′33″W / 41.46667°N 87.05917°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1893 |
| Architect | Lembke, Charles F. |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| NRHP Reference # | 84001231 |
| Added to NRHP | May 23, 1984 |
The Porter County Memorial Hall, also known as Memorial Opera House, is an historic Grand Army of the Republic memorial hall located in Valparaiso, Indiana. It was the meeting place of Chaplain Brown GAR Post No. 106, one of 592 GAR posts in Indiana. Designed in 1892 by a local architect, Charles F. Lembke., using Romanesque styling, it was built in 1892-3 to seat 100 people. It was also used as the local opera house.
Local legend says that Wm Jennings Bryan spoke at the hall during the 1896 presidential campaign. Others who have been to the hall include Theodore Roosevelt, John Phillips Sousa, Marx Brothers. Decline began with the advent of the movies, for which it was converted. By the time of World War II it was an abandoned building. Beginning in 1955, the Community Theatre Guild leased the property and began maintaining it once again for theater productions. The City restored the hall in the 1990s and leased it to the Memorial Opera House Company, where theater productions continue.
The Memorial Opera House is located at 104 Indiana Avenue just east of the historic Porter County Jail and Sheriff's House. At the time of construction, Indiana Avenue was called Mechanics Street. The Opera House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It was restored in 1998.Today, the Memorial Theatre Company produces six theatrical performances each year and host community concerts and other events. p
The 1893 Memorial Opera House is "eclectic" in its styling, with the details, symmetry, and size associated with the Queen Anne style. Additional influences are seen in the broad entrance arches and side windows. This may reflect the influence of Louis Sullivan or H. H. Richardson, both active in nearby Chicago during this time.
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