The Opera House Declines 1900-1994

The Twentieth Century

During the early 1900s the Delphi Dramatic Club produced a new play each month at the Delphi Opera House. The club numbered more than 120 and included many prominent Delphi families.

Following a fire at the Dreyfus Theater in Lafayette, Indiana in 1914, the fire marshal closed upper story gathering spaces with only one means of egress. The Delphi Opera House was shuttered and eventually became a storage room and woodworking area for first-floor retail shops.

Over the years leaks in the roof led to damaged wallpapers and plaster. Broken windows allowed pigeons to make the once grand balcony railing their roosting spot. Several photos above show what the theater had become by 1994 as the Delphi Preservation Society became involved.