Sarasota Opera House
| Sarasota Opera House | |
|---|---|
Renovations to the exterior and interior in 2007-08 | |
| Former names | Edwards Theatre |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Mediterranean Revival |
| Address | 61 North Pineapple Avenue |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 27°20′12″N 82°32′38″W / 27.33667°N 82.54389°W |
| Opened | April 10, 1926 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 3 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Roy A. Benjamin |
| Main contractor | G.A. Miller |
Edwards Theatre | |
| MPS | Sarasota MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 84003835 |
| Added to NRHP | March 22, 1984 |
The Sarasota Opera House (originally the Edwards Theatre) is a historic theater building used as an opera house at 61 North Pineapple Avenue in Sarasota, Florida. The building was the vision of A.B. Edwards, the first mayor of Sarasota. It opened on April 10, 1926, with a three-story entrance containing eight shops on the ground floor, 12 offices on the second floor, and 12 furnished apartments on the third. The theatre's auditorium contained an orchestral pipe organ. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune hailed Edwards for "having admitted Sarasota into a fairyland of costly decoration, rich furnishings and never to be forgotten artistry."
The building was designed by Roy A. Benjamin in Mediterranean Revival Style Architecture and constructed by the GA Miller Construction Company.
The theatre is the home of the Sarasota Opera Association, Inc., which owns the building. The Association is the parent body that runs the Sarasota Opera. It has 1,119 seats.