Clayton Opera House

The Clayton Opera House has served the 1000 Islands in many roles for the past 100 years. This grand old building was built as the Town Hall, intended to be used for many community functions as well as performances. The building continues to do civic duty, housing the Town of Clayton offices on the ground level.

Upstairs, the Opera House features a wonderful theater capable of accommodating a wide variety of performances and audiences of up to 400. The space is once again a performing arts venue after serving many years as an incubator for a several museums that continue to thrive at new locations in Clayton. The building’s third floor was the local Masonic Lodge until 1993.

Today, the Thousand Islands Performing Arts Fund manages the Opera House under an agreement with the Town of Clayton. The Fund is working on renovation of the building’s theater space and third floor, making it a premier venue for community functions and the performing arts. Once the hall reopens in July 2007, TIPAF will present performances year-round and oversee the use of the hall as a community center.

About TIPAF

The Thousand Islands Performing Arts Fund is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the arts in the Thousand Islands region. It is overseen by a volunteer board of directors. The Fund's program of work and day-to-day management are overseen by its Executive Director and seasonal operations of the Opera House are overseen by its Theater Manager.

The Fund's major activity is the management and renovation of the Clayton Opera House.

Its current mission is "to create and manage a leading community and performing arts center at the Clayton Opera House."

Vision Statement:

The Thousand Islands Performing Arts Fund will strive to establish the Clayton Opera House as a leading cultural institution for the presentation of the performing arts and as an important venue for the social and business activities of the community.

History
The cornerstone for the Clayton Opera House was laid in August 1903 and the building was completed in July 1904. It was built on the corner of Water Street (now Riverside Drive) and Merrick Street on the site of the once thriving Johnston Shipyard where the famous steamer St. Lawrence was built. The hall’s architect was Frank T. Lent and its builder George Kenyon. The building was electrified and heated by steam from a pumping station across the street.

The Opera House was built by the Town of Clayton at a cost of $15,000. Before the building was completed and being low on funds, the Town made arrangements with members of the local Masonic Lodge and Holland B. Dewey a local businessman. The Masons agreed to pay for the cost of the roof provided they could use the third floor for their meetings. Indeed, they remained there for another ninety years. H. B. Dewey agreed to finish the basement provided he could have a long-term lease for that space to house his furniture and undertaking business.

A performance hall is born
From the very beginning, the Clayton Opera House was home to the performing arts. In August 1905, summer resident May Irwin with her troupe from New York City presented the play “Mrs. Black is Back” and filled the house with almost 1,000 people, the largest number ever to attend a performance there. In addition to May Irwin, the Opera House hosted other Broadway stars including James Hackett, William Danforth, Lillian Russell and Lester Vail. Much local talent was also center stage including the Clayton Band, the Darou Minstrels, Solar’s Orchestra and the Kings and Queens of Rhythm.

Over the decades the Opera House hosted many events including plays, exhibitions and medicine shows. It had a regular seating capacity of 750 making it the largest performance hall in Jefferson County at the time of its construction. Five sets of scenery were kept in the basement where five dressing rooms were also located. The sceneries came from the Ackerman Studio in New York City.

Also a community center
The Opera House was also referred to as Town Hall because it was used for a variety of community functions such as commencement exercises, the annual Firemen’s Ball and Youth Club and Radio Club activities. The Grand Army of the Republic used the Clayton Opera House for its elaborate Memorial Day ceremonies. Large quantities of lilacs were used to decorate the hall. There were several hundred people at one of these ceremonies to honor Harry Couch who was killed in France in the First World War.

In the 1920s, the Clayton High School used the main floor of the Opera House as a basketball court suspending the baskets from the stage and the opposite balcony. The school at that time was located where the Clayton Municipal Building is today and was not large enough to handle extra-curricular activities.

An incubator for several museums
For a town the size of Clayton, it is unusual but impressive to have three museums: the Antique Boat Museum, the Handweaving Museum and Arts Center and the Thousand Islands Museum. All of these museums were originally nurtured under the umbrella of the Opera House. Since their origins in the Opera House, they have all grown, become independent, thrived and are now important institutions in Northern New York and nationwide.

Revival of the Clayton Opera House
In 2001, the Thousand Islands Museum moved to new quarters on James Street paving the way for the revival of the Clayton Opera House as a performing arts and community center. In 2002, the Thousand Islands Performing Arts Fund (TIPAF), at the request of the Town of Clayton, sponsored new programming for the summer seasons at the Opera House. Early performances included the Bolshoi Orchestra String Quartet, the Summer Festival Orchestra conducted by Jeff Tyzik of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the U. S. poet laureate Billie Collins. In 2004, TIPAF commenced the Centennial Campaign to Renovate the Clayton Opera House to once again establish the Opera House as a year-round performing arts and community center.