Major musical and theatrical institution.
DETAILS OF SITE LOCATION: Located at 11 Adelaide Street West, the opera house was on the south side of Adelaide between Yonge and Bay. On its west side was a lane way named Johnson’s Lane, now named Grand Opera Lane.
Boundary History: Bounded by Adelaide on the north side, Johnson’s Lane on the west side, an unnamed lane on the east side, and backing onto an empty lot leading south to the Manning Arcade and the North of Scotland Chambers. Near its southwest corner were the Empire newspaper offices.
CURRENT USE OF PROPERTY: A building housing Wood Gundy.
HISTORICAL DESCRIPTION: The Grand Opera House was built in 1874 to become the major venue in the city for grand opera and for important theatrical performances. It fulfilled its ambitions and more. It opened in September 1874 with Sheridan’s School for Scandal, then hosted a succession of international singing and stage stars. A fire destroyed the building in 1879, but it was rebuilt in only 51 days! Maurice Barrymore (father of Lionel, John, and Ethel) appeared there, as did Ellen Terry, Sarah Bernhardt, and a host of others. The Toronto Philharmonic Society gave concerts, including Handel’s Messiah with singers from Mrs. Morrison’s Opera Company. This event was pictured in the Canadian Illustrated News issue of January 1875. Mrs. Charlotte Morrison owned and managed the opera house, and gave it a brilliant record. O.B. Sheppard was a later manager, and moved on to manage the Princess. But it was mainly, and sadly, Ambrose Small for whom the opera house is remembered. Small was in the process of closing a sale of his theatrical assets to a syndicate, Trans Canada Theatres Ltd., when he vanished without a trace. At the end of her life, his wife confessed to murdering him and burning half of his dismembered body in the furnace of the opera house and disposing of the other half in the Rosedale Ravine. The case was never solved and remains a mystery today. The Small affair has overshadowed the brilliant history of the performing arts in the opera house, which brought the best in the world to Toronto and gave local talent many opportunities to shine. The Grand Opera House also demonstrated clearly that home grown impresarios had what it takes to reach the highest success. In 1927, eight years after Small’s disappearance, the opera house was demolished.
REFERENCE SOURCES: Miles’ Atlas 1878; Goad’s Atlas 1884, 1890, 1900, 1910; Joan Parkhill Baillie, Look at the Record, 1985; Fred McClement, The Strange Case of Ambrose Small, 1974; Community History Project collections.
RELATIVE IMPORTANCE: No performing arts facility in Toronto’s history quite equals that of the Grand Opera House. It is recalled in the name of the lane way existing today.
PLANNING IMPLICATIONS: In a densely developed section of the lower city, no archaeology is ever possible, but a large, permanent display giving some idea of its brilliant performing arts history should be encouraged for permanent mounting in the building that replaced it.