The McHaffey Opera House is a historic building located in Eldon, Iowa, United States. It was constructed in 1891 and in use by the community through the 1940s.

Venue: McHaffey Opera House
Town: Eldon, US

The McHaffey Opera House is a historic building located in Eldon, Iowa, United States. It was constructed in 1891 and in use by the community through the 1940s. The building was mainly unused for many decades until a volunteer community group bought the opera house in 1995 and began restoration efforts. The McHaffey Opera House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in November, 1995. Irish immigrant David McHaffey was the proprietor of a brickyard in Eldon when, in 1891, he constructed the opera house using bricks from his business. With Eldon being on a main line of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, the McHaffey Opera House was able to secure a place on the "New York Circuit", bringing in traveling theatre troupes presenting the latest Broadway plays as well as Shakespearean classics, and vaudeville acts. Other uses included local talent shows, political rallies, and high school graduation ceremonies. For a time, in the early 1900s through the 1920s McHaffey Opera House was even used for basketball games. With the advent of motion pictures, a projectionist booth was added to the McHaffey to show silent films. As "talkies" came along to enormous popularity in the late 1920s sound capability was added to the Opera House. The last high school graduation ceremony was held at the McHaffey Opera House in 1941. By the 1940s Eldon had another outlet for movies leaving the McHaffey unused for that purpose. However flooding in 1947 damaged the newer theater, granting the Opera House one last chance to briefly show movies. Following that temporary reprieve, the McHaffey Opera House went into a long period of dormancy, seldom used except for storage. In addition to its significance as an entertainment venue, Dr. S.H. Sawyers the surgeon for the Rock Island Line, had an office on the second floor of the opera house beginning in the 1890s. Other businesses rented space on the main floor of the building. Originally the main floor housed two storefron