Word of the theatre traveled quickly, and the first showing of Blue Moon starring James T. State-of-the-art halogen lights lined the stage, and the seats were upholstered with a rich burgundy velvet. Stone staircases circled the foyer, leading to a large balcony free of view-obstructing columns. Vaulted ceilings in the retail spaces revealed neo-classical embellishments atop large pillars. The interior of the building was stunning. Upon completion in December, the theatre stood four stories high, seating 1,250 guests with standing room for over 2,000. Shops on the main floors were topped with six stories of office spaces, all cradling a massive theatre with a 2,000-square-foot stage.Ĭonstruction started in Spring of 1907, but the building plans were altered after the death of Babcock’s banking partner Peter Larson. An artist rendering published in the Billings Gazette showed a seven story theatre. and finalized the plans for a new building within two months of the fire. Houghton, a prominent Seattle architect, was known for creating eye-catching theaters, hotels, and opera houses, including the Grand Opera House in Butte, Montana.īabcock purchased seven undeveloped lots on Broadway Ave. Albert Babcock, ever the opportunist, saw this as his chance to rebuild something truly marvelous. That is, until the theatre burned down on September 22, 1906, becoming nothing but cinders in less than an hour. The venue wasn’t quite what Babcock had in mind, but it hosted high caliber shows with its excellent acoustics, bright electric lighting, and 800 comfortable seats. The Billings Opera House was said to be “not exactly a poem in architectural design, nor yet as imposing as some play houses in the state, still it shows up well and is large enough for all present purposes”¹. Babcock leapt into action, raising $10,000 (roughly $250,000 today) to construct an opera house on Montana Avenue, between 25th and 26th St. However, a mining boom, combined with an influx of rail traffic, created a vacuum for entertainment that needed to be filled quickly. When Albert Louis Babcock envisioned the Billings Opera House in 1896, he pictured an architectural marvel with thousands of seats and a lush, metropolitan interior.
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