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Originally opened in 1901, the Grand Old Opera House in Crowley is one of the few opera houses of its kind to be restored to full, former glory.

Founded by a sheriff who wanted to bring some entertainment to the small agricultural town of Crowley, the Grand Old Opera House featured everything from musical performances to theatrical presentations–and even silent theatre. Some of the well-known public figures to have graced its stage include: Clark Gable, Huey Long, Babe Ruth, opera singer Enrico Caruso and Madame de Vilchez-Bisset of the Paris Opera.
 
Set on the rail line halfway between New Orleans and Houston, Crowley was a bustling place at the start of the 20th century. The Opera House provided entertainment, and beneath on the first floor, was a saloon, café, bakery, mortuary and a pool hall. But when owner David Lyons died in 1939, the theatre closed its doors and sat silent, collecting dust for more than 66 years.
 
Dixie Hardware had been operating on the first floor, but as time went by, the theatre upstairs was forgotten. Few people in Crowley even knew the place had existed, or about the history that sat above the aisles of tools. Having eyed it since the ‘70s, local entrepreneur and philanthropist L.J. Gielen and his wife Carol “Chee Chee” bought the building in 1999 and soon founded a non-profit organization to oversee the restoration of the building. Work began in 2006 and the Grand Old Opera House reopened its doors for the first time in more than six decades in 2008.
 
Today, it is on the way to becoming one of Acadia Parish’s top attractions and takes visitors to a bygone era. The building was restored with the utmost care and attention to detail. In one instance, it took up to a month to find the right light sockets. Each one of the original 42,000 boards in the building was carefully sanded down and refinished. Replicas of the remaining light fixtures were recreated with plaster and carefully painted to match the originals. The pressed tin on the ceilings was also molded and duplicated by a firm in Houston. 100-year-old cypress was used for the banisters on the staircase and the blood red curtains with gold tassels were replicated just as they would have been in the early-1900s.
 
“It was very important for us to bring it back, keeping the integrity of the building. Every step of the way, we pieced it together as it would have been in 1901,” says Kim Gattle, the Executive Director of the Grand Old Opera House.
 
It cost a total of $4.5 million to renovate the 33,000-square-foot space. Even the four exclusive box seats were restored to their original form with plush armchairs draped in gold fabric and angel medallions hand-painted by local artist Rhonda Stevens. The building was originally constructed using virgin Louisiana cypress, pine and oak; it was accented with pressed tin tiles and the steep slope of the floor was said to have created a perfect line of sight for the original 1,000 seats.
 
Today, the restored auditorium seats up to 400 guests and offers a spring schedule of musical performances and theatrical presentations. Recent performances have included Irma Thomas, Russian pianist Vladimir Zaitsev, Marcia Ball and Freddie Cole, brother of Nat King Cole. Even the Golden Dragon Acrobats came directly from China in April 2009. It is also open, by appointment, for tours which are usually guided by Kim Gattle, herself.
 
“It has been a hidden gem in the rough. People have come from all over just to see the venue. There really aren’t many places like this left in the country,” said Gattle.
 
There is also a small museum on the second floor which features period clothing, props, photos found during the renovation and the original marquee. Many signatures were found on the walls of the dressing rooms during the renovation, including some that date back to its opening in 1901.
 
The Grand Old Opera House is just one of more than 200 structures in Crowley that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many homes and buildings date back to the city’s founding in the late 1800s, and in recent years, there has been a revitalization in the downtown area that combines preservation with economic development. Other buildings of historic interest include the Houssaye House (built in 1887), the Egan Hotel (built in 1914) and the Blue Rose Museum (built in 1848). Next door to the opera house, the Crowley City Hall is located in the restored Crowley Motor Company building from 1920 and features a museum on the city’s history.
 
Since its founding in 1886, Crowley has been known to have some of the most fertile lands in the South, and over the years, rice became its staple crop. The town eventually got the nickname “Rice Capital of America” because it once had more rice mills than any other city in the nation. In 1927, Crowley held its first Rice Carnival to pay tribute to its heritage. By 1972, the carnival had grown into the International Rice Festival and now attracts more than 125,000 people every October. The festival features live zydeco music, great Cajun cuisine and family fun in downtown Crowley.