Passaic Opera House
217 Washington Place,
Passaic,
NJ
07055
217 Washington Place,
Passaic,
NJ
07055
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Additional Info
Previous Names: Whitehead's Opera House, Passaic Family Theatre
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Whitehead’s Opera House was opened February 1, 1892. On September 11, 1905 it was renamed Passaic Family Theatre presenting vaudeville and Edison’s moving pictures. By 1908 it had been renamed Passaic Opera House and was listed in the 1914-1915 edition of American Motion Picture Directory. It was destroyed by fire on January 19, 1916.
Contributed by
Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
In the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide there is a “Whitehead’s Opera House” listed for Passaic. Unfortunately, there are no street addresses in this Guide, so I don’t know if it’s this theater or not. It was run by W. Whitehead, had 900 seats and was on the first floor.
The 1908-1909 Cahn guide lists the 950-seat Passaic Opera House, managed by W. Whitehead, so I’d guess it’s the same theater as Whitehead’s Opera House. CinemaTour lists the house at 217 Washington Place. A 1910 city directory gives that address as the location of the Opera House Hotel, so the theater might have been entered through the hotel lobby. William Whitehead owned the hotel, and earlier had operated a theater called the Lyceum.
Whitehead’s Opera House was dedicated on February 1, 1892, according the Theatrical Chronology in the 1893 edition of The New York Clipper Annual. The Passaic Opera House was destroyed by a fire on January 19, 1916, along with several other buildings, an event widely reported in newspapers a the time and noted in the January 26 issue of The Insurance Press.
Reopened as Passaic Family theatre on September 11th, 1905
Also known as the Passaic Theatre