The Edwards Opera House might be the best-sounding venue you’ve never heard of. Located in the small town of Edwards, New York in St. Lawrence County, the opera house is a veritable hidden gem of the North County.
“We’ve had musicians who have traveled around the world who sit on the stage and say it’s the best place they’ve ever played acoustically,” says Kathleen Huber, chair of the Edwards Art Council, a non-profit which oversees the theater’s operations and upkeep. She compares the theater’s shape to that of an upside-down ship, which she credits for adding phenomenal acoustics and natural reverb.
Kathleen grew up in Edwards, but had no idea the opera house even existed; and for good reason: The theater itself is located on the second floor of the town hall of all places.
The town hall itself dates back to the late 1800s, where architects in nearby Ogdensburg, were tasked with rebuilding the institution after it had burned down in a fire. Over the years, the town hall has been home to a barbershop, a jail, a post-office and a roller-rink. The theater on the second floor originally hosted traveling troupes and medicine shows as well as local musicians and actors. It also served as a popular movie theater until the late 1950s.
“My parents would go in the 50’s and they would tell me that the place would be full,” Huber recounted.
The long history of this building is still very much evident. The original stage curtains are still intact, which include a vibrant hand-painted mural depicting a pastoral scene. It was painted by a traveling troupe that was quarantined in Edwards during the Great Influenza epidemic. On the back of the current, past and current performers have signed their names, with the oldest signature dating back to the early 1900’s.
Edwards was a popular mining town for lead and zinc, but when resources ran out in the late 70’s, the mining companies packed up and Edwards began to resemble more of a ghost town. While the town hall remained operational, the theater closed its doors for nearly half a century.
In the early 200’s the Edwards Art Council, a non-profit organization was formed to oversee the restoration and upkeep of the historic theater. Nearby towns in the North County like Clayton and Heuvelton also restored similar theater spaces around the same time, in a trend to restore historic venues and hopefully revitalize the downtown areas.
The Edwards Opera House seats nearly 275 people and hosts a small smattering of around 8-10 shows a year. The venue is mostly seasonal, operating primarily in the spring, summer and fall seasons. The Opera House recently wrapped up its summer series, which included a comedy night, a variety show, a family band and a group of fiddlers.
But while the Edwards Opera House used to draw full houses for its movie showings, a dwindling population – around 500 people – now makes it difficult to fill the 275 seats in the theater. Most neighboring towns are a 30 minute drive away as well.
Huber returned to her hometown and took the role of chair of the arts council during Covid. During this time, she started live streaming concerts to reach new audiences. You can also watch snippets of passt performances on the Edwards Opera House Youtube channel.
The Arts Council is operated entirely by volunteers who dedicate their free time organizing, promoting and hosting events at the opera house. Huber says they are always looking for new members. She said the most rewarding part is being able to provide music and arts to the community.
While the Opera House typically closes in the winter, this year the theater will be hosting a holiday show on Dec. 1st.
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