Small-town opera house survives over 100 years...but has never held an opera

A small town in the Inland Northwest is home to an opera house that has been standing for over 100 years. But it has never housed an opera.

The city of Harrington, Washington, is tucked away around 50 miles outside Spokane and over 200 travel miles from Seattle. It is a community with a population of less than 500 people.

Apart from the trains, Harrington is a quiet place where nature carries the tune of the town. That is, unless the opera house is hosting an event.

The Harrington Opera House was built in 1902 and opened in 1904, more than 20 years after the city was founded.

As far as volunteers know, there has never actually been an opera at the Harrington Opera House.

"I doubt it, here again we don't have records back that far," said Linda Wagner, president of the Harrington Opera House Society.

"Really it was just these traveling troops that would come through back in the old days and it wasn't really opera, per se," said Harrington Opera House Society treasurer Ed Haugan.

Back then, opera houses were central to American life and were used as both performance venues and community gathering spaces.

If there was a buzz in a small town like Harrington, it came from the opera house.

"It was a very popular place," Haugan said. "Saturday nights were a big deal in Harrington at that time. Of course, the tavern being right across the street, it was a pretty lively place.”

The opera house thrived for more than 45 years until it closed in 1950.

"The roof leaked, it was leaking and the walls were falling apart," Haugan said.

The building sat vacant for more than 40 years until volunteers decided to bring it back to life. That meant a very long process that started 26 years ago.

"[About] 24 of them I've been the treasurer and I can't get out of it," Haugan said as he laughed. "It's been a pretty tough go but we've made it."

The restoration may have made the building a bit more modern, but volunteers are keeping much of its character intact.

"It's a huge asset and we have to grab onto those things that are left and that we can treasure," Wagner said. “[It's] an opportunity for our rural communities to gather, not too far from home, and to see wonderful performances and wonderful music, is such a gift. Small towns do matter and history does matter.”

"As long as we can keep going, I guess we'll keep plugging away," Haugan added.

The opera house is home to many art performances, weddings and speakers.

Piano lessons are even taught inside the building.

There is much more the Harrington Opera House Society would like to do in terms of renovation, but they need more money and volunteers.

If you would like to help or contact the Harrington Opera House Society, visit its website.