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BOYD'S OPERA HOUSE

Boyd’s Opera House, built in 1881 by James E. Boyd, may not have been the first permanent theatre in Omaha, but it was the first prominent theatre in town. On April 13, 1882, before an opera house audience, an actor declared: “This theatre would do honor to any city in the world” (Sorenson, History of Omaha, pgs. 199-200). Located at the northeast corner of 15th and Farnam Streets, Boyd’s Opera House had a seating capacity of 1,700. In 1891, L.M. Crawford leased Boyd’s Opera House. Crawford, however, could not keep the Boyd name as part of the establishment; James Boyd was building a new theatre at 17th and Harney Streets. The original Boyd’s Opera House became the Farnam Street Theatre. In 1893, the original Boyd’s Opera House was destroyed by fire.

Sorenson, Alfred. History of Omaha from the Pioneer Days to the Present Time. Omaha: Gibson, Miller, and Richardson, 1889. Pages 198-200.

Sorenson, Alfred. The Story of Omaha from the Pioneer Days to the Present Time. Omaha: National Printing Company, 1923. Pages 244 and 247.