Cresco in Howard County, Iowa — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Cresco Opera House

Iowa Historic Site

— 1914-1915 —

Cresco Opera House Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 9, 2023

1. Cresco Opera House Marker

Inscription. This property is listed in
The National Register of Historic Places

Erected by Iowa State Historical Department, Division of Historic Preservation.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Entertainment • Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1914.

Location. 43° 22.414′ N, 92° 7.032′ W. Marker is in Cresco, Iowa, in Howard County. It is on 2nd Avenue West west of North Elm Street, on the left when traveling west. The marker is mounted at eye-level, directly on the subject building, between the windows on the right/west side of the front facade. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 115 2nd Avenue West, Cresco IA 52136, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northeast Iowa — the Driftless Area

and in Eastern Iowa. It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Corn Belt,

and in the Driftless Area — Bluff Country.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western

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World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 14 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: 101-A Train - EMD Model FP7 (about 800 feet away, measured in a direct line); World War I Mine (approx. 0.2 miles away); Dr. Norman E. Borlaug - March 25, 1914 - September 12, 2009 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Howard County Historical Society-1854 Log Cabin-Beadle Park (approx. 0.2 miles away); Space Tree (approx. 0.2 miles away); Cresco Freedom Rock Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lincoln Lutheran Congregation (approx. 10.2 miles away); Let's Have "Harmony" (approx. 13.6 miles away in Minnesota). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cresco.

Regarding Cresco Opera House. National Register of Historic Places # 81000245.

From the National Register Nomination:
For over half a century, the Cresco Opera House was both the tallest building and the chief center for culture and entertainment in this small northeastern Iowa town. Architecturally, the exterior
Photographed by Larry Gertner

2. Cresco Opera House
National Register of Historic Placed Nomination Form
NPGallery Digital Asset Management System
Click for more information.
of the opera house exhibits the influence of the Prairie School so popular at that time in the midwest. The contrasting brick bands along the roof parapet and around the windows, the narrow brick piers with recessed panels on the front facade, and the arched entrance-way in the manner of Louis Sullivan are typical of this mode. The interior plan was based on the Blackstone Theater in Chicago, a neoclassical edifice still standing in that city. Rococo decoration is utilized throughout the theater portion and elaborate frieze work, plaster mouldings, and fancy chandeliers are featured.

Also see . . . Cresco Opera House. Wikipedia entry:
Excerpt:

The Cresco Commercial Club held a fundraiser in early 1914 to build an opera house. The Cresco Opera House Company was organized around the same time. The building was completed by the end of the year, and it opened in 1915. It was designed by local engineer Joseph H. Howe, and constructed by local builder Martin Johnson. The musical High Jinks was the first performance held in the theater. The theater, which seats 425, was equipped to show movies and there was a community hall in
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 9, 2023

3. Cresco Opera House Marker
(marker is mounted between the windows on the right side of the entrance)
the basement.

(Submitted on September 18, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Cresco Opera House (<i>north/front elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 9, 2023

4. Cresco Opera House (north/front elevation)

Cresco Opera House (<i>front/lobby entrance</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 9, 2023

5. Cresco Opera House (front/lobby entrance)

Cresco Opera House (<i>northwest elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 9, 2023

6. Cresco Opera House (northwest elevation)

Credits. This page was last revised on November 25, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 18, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 223 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on September 18, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2. submitted on November 25, 2023, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on September 18, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.