December 12th , 1939
Cork Opera House is a theatre and opera house in Cork in Ireland. The first venue opened in 1855 on Emmet Place (then known as Nelson’s Place) to the rear of the Crawford Art Gallery. This original building was destroyed by fire in 1955, and a replacement opened in 1965. With a number of additions in the early 21st century, the 1000-seat venue hosted over 100 theatre, music, opera, and comedy events in 2015.
Cork’s opera house was originally built in the 1850s to designs by architect John Benson. Intended for the “promotion of science, literature and the fine arts, and the diffusion of architectural knowledge”, the building was based on a template that the architect had used for the exhibition buildings at the Irish Industrial Exhibition.
Opened in 1855, this building was originally called “The Athenaeum”, and was renamed “The Munster Hall” in 1875. It was renamed as the “Opera House”, after extensive reconstruction, in 1877.
The opera house was renovated to plans by Arthur Hill in 1908.
Survived the Burning of Cork
While this building survived the Burning of Cork by British forces in 1920, it burned down several decades later in its centenary year of 1955.
Electrical Fire
The fire started on the evening of 12 December 1955, caused by an electrical fault and fueled by wooden materials.
