The 10,800-square-foot, three-story, brick Italianate Assion-Ruffing City Hall opened in 1865. Concerts, readings, theatre and graduations soon followed.
109 S Washington Street
Delphi, IN
46923
| Tuesday | 11am - 2pm |
| Wednesday | 11am - 2pm |
| Thursday | 11am - 2pm |
| Friday | 11am - 2pm |
| Saturday | 11am - 2pm |
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The 10,800-square-foot, three-story, brick Italianate Assion-Ruffing City Hall opened in 1865. Not a place of government, it was named for the grand event hall on its third floor that opened with a ball honoring returning Civil War soldiers. With the rising popularity later in the century of opera houses—not necessarily settings for opera, but for a variety of live performances—the upper-story hall was remodeled by local merchants John Lathrope and John Ruffing naming the space the Lathrope & Ruffing Opera House. The first to perform on stage, on April 7, 1882, was soprano singer Marie Litta and the Litta Grand Opera Company. Concerts, readings, theatre and graduations soon followed. Among the performers were Hi Henry’s Minstrels, the Delphi Dramatic Club, and Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley who performed there at least six times. In 1914, fire safety concerns prompted the end of entertainment because of the building’s lone stairway. While the lower floors continued to house retailers and offices over the years, the third floor was simply abandoned and used as a storage room. Paint peeled away, wallpaper fell to shards, and cobwebs covered the space. The Delphi Preservation Society bought two-thirds of the building in 1996; the remaining third was acquired in 2007. The Society got the building listed in the National Register of Historic Places, commissioned a feasibility study for its restoration, and stabilized a dislodged roof truss—all in the first four years of ownership.
By 2011 the Society had building’s structural integrity analyzed, restored the building’s facade, replaced the roof, commissioned a decorative arts analysis, and prepared program requirements and design specifications for restoring the building as a community center and venue for the performing arts.
The restoration of the Delphi Opera House became the centerpiece of projects as the City of Delphi applied for and was selected in 2012 as a Stellar Community. Following the groundbreaking in July 2014, the $4.375 million restoration of the Delphi Opera House moved at a fast pace. An addition to the rear of the historic structure doubled the size of the building adding space for an elevator, fire stairs, dressing rooms, a caterer’s kitchen, theater lobby, banquet hall, and meeting rooms along with fully-accessible restrooms on every floor.
In the auditorium the decorative elements were restored with five original wallpapers reproduced and faux-bois finishes restored. The tiered floor that once held fixed theatrical seating was replaced with a flat floor and banquet chairs and tables to ensure accessibility and flexibility in use of the room. A T-coil was added for the hearing impaired and modern sound and LED stage lighting systems installed.
