In 2013, Blumenfeld and the Holy Ghost Headquarters Church bought the historic theater in 2013 for a buck. Today, it’s now in the hands of Eric Blumenfeld, the same developer who is behind the ongoing $44 million restoration of the Divine Lorraine just three blocks away. Over the years it’s served as a movie theater, circus venue, ballroom, and most recently, a church. After some time Hammerstein I fell into debt and sold the property, which then went through a number of owners.

McElfatrick, it sat some 4,000 people, becoming the largest theater of its kind in the world. The Philadelphia Metropolitan Opera House was built in 1908 by Oscar Hammerstein I, the grandfather of Oscar Hammerstein II.

The opera house? On a recent visit to the theater, a passerby said, “This is the first time I’ve ever noticed that building.” A week later, another man said, “Is someone actually doing something with this building? What is it?” Its two iconic red signs that face the North and South, though still dark, serve as symbols of North Broad’s ongoing resurgence. The Divine Lorraine has long captured the hearts of Philadelphians and out-of-towners alike, its graffiti-laden exterior and interiors doubling as almost an ode to what was once an extravagant hotel and worship house. Today, it’s just a big white box on the corner of North Broad and Poplar, with vegetation peaking out of boarded up windows.īut that’s where the similarities between the two hulking buildings ends. Follow along here for all of the updates.ĭeveloper Eric Blumenfeld calls the 39,200-square-foot Philadelphia Metropolitan Opera House “the Divine Lorraine, turned on its side.”Īnd like the Divine Lorraine, the opera house has sat vacant for years on the corner of North Broad and Poplar streets, stripped of its opulence and elegance while left to the elements. The historic theater on North Broad Street is set to undergo a $35 million renovation led by developer Eric Blumenfeld to return it to a world-class concert venue.

Philadelphia metropolitan opera house