CAROLA LILLIE HARTLEY
Publisher and Contributing Writer
It was a magical time in Opelousas. A time when there were opera houses in the city. We learned about some of the earliest Opera Houses of old Opelousas, the ones that operated during that century. We left our story as the 1800s was coming to an end, and Opelousas was moving into a new century. It was during the last decade of the 1800s that Dr. R. M. “Bob” Littell built a new Opera House on Main Street. In 1896, Dr. Bob sold his opera house in downtown Opelousas, and its name was changed. The Littell Opera House became the Sandoz Opera House.
The Sandoz Opera House
From the time the building was purchased by Leonce Sandoz and opened as the Sandoz Opera House, it was a very popular place, known throughout the state. It was called the best opera house in Louisiana, next to only the one in New Orleans. So many great performances were held at the building, and many, many of the town’s activities, from political rallies to school graduations to local organization plays, to gumbo fund raisers, all occurred under its roof. The Sandoz Opera House was the most desired venue in town.
Many a tall tale and other stories have been handed down through the years about “goings on” at the old opera house. I remember hearing the one about a Mr. Oge. It seems the man liked to drink, but he also liked to attend the events at the Sandoz, where he often sat on the windowsill. One evening when he had a little too much “malt,” he fell out of the opened window two stories down onto the sidewalk below and landed on his head. He was ok, not hurt at all, but his head broke the sidewalk.
In about 1905, there was a movement happening in Opelousas to have another opera house in the town. Mr. Aaron Jacobs, who owned the Jacobs New Depot in downtown Opelousas, announced he was going to form a corporation to build a new very large $30,000 opera house on the corner of Court and Landry streets. This building was also being designed to accommodate his business plus several smaller businesses on the first floor. The idea did have a great deal of support, and many local and area businessmen purchased shares and invested their own monies in the plan. But it also had a lot of strong opposition.
There were two newspapers in town during those years, and each took a different position on this proposal. The St. Landry Clarion was very much in favor of a new opera house for the town, but the old Opelousas Courier strongly objected. Of course, that may have been because the same family who owned the Sandoz Opera House also owned the Courier. It seems they did not like the idea of competition. The newspaper fights over this opera house continued through 1906 and 1907. Talk of the new opera house went on for some time even after that, but eventually it never was built. It became known as the “opera house that never was.”
About that same time talk of a new opera house was making it rounds in Opelousas, the Sandoz Opera House began to lose business, with less and less performances each year. There were only six events at the place in 1906. In 1907 to stop the new opera house talk, and to keep up with competition from opera houses in nearby towns, the Sandoz went through a complete renovation, costing several thousands of dollars.
At that time the stage was enlarged to 55ft. by 32ft., making it one of the largest outside of New Orleans. New scenery was added and constantly updated by the house scene artist. New up to date lighting was installed, allowing the stage to be flooded with either red or white colored lights. New dressing rooms, equipped with modern lavatories with city supplied water, were added to accommodate local as well as visiting actors. Two hundred and fifty new opera chairs were added, making it possible for the building to accommodate 696 attendees.
Also, at that time new personnel were hired to assist the management. The new staff included a musical director, stage manager, set designer, stage carpenter and electrician, advertising agent, ushers, and billposters. The updated facility reopened in August of 1907. It was again a thriving business.
A Movie House
Keeping up with the times, when “moving picture shows” came to Opelousas in the early 1900s, the Sandoz Opera House purchased new equipment so they could offer silent movies to the community as well as live acts. On October 29th and 30th of 1906, the Opera House offered moving pictures, direct from the Gayety Theater in St. Louis, said to be the best in the United States.
In an announcement in the Opelousas Courier on October 20 of that year, the management of the Opera House stated, “we have gone to a great deal of expense and trouble to get these pictures to come here, and hope that the public will patronize this show, as it is worthy of their interest, and must not be confounded with the cheap outfits which have been shown here before.”
Among the well-known moving picture subjects shown at the Sandoz were Bluebeard. the Holy City, the Lost Child, Smuggling Dogs, Rescued by Carlo, Trip to the Moon, the Trouble with Fleas, a Clown’s Adventures, the Bold Bank Robbery, Wreck of the Limited Express, Why the Typewriter Was Fired, and San Francisco Earthquake and Fire. Other films included pictures and information on prominent persons of that time.
When Leonce Sandoz died in 1909, the opera house with his name continued to operate for a few years. In 1912 opera house advertisements read “Sandoz Opera House, now offering the ‘best of films’ along with vaudeville acts.” In 1913, the Sandoz estate sold the Opera House business, the building and property to George Abdalla, the owner of a very successful downtown business.
Opelousas Opera House and George Abdalla Bargain Store
Soon after Abdalla purchased the building, it was remodeled, repainted and the first floor lowered. His business, now called George Abdalla Bargain Store, was moved into the lower floor, with the upper floor still used as an opera house. It also served as his residence for a few years until he purchased a home on Bellevue Street in 1920.
At first, Abdalla kept the top floor business running as the Sandoz Opera House, with Morgan Sandoz as manager. In November of 1913, Sandoz resigned, and the name was changed to the Opelousas Opera House, with George Abdalla himself as the manager for a short time. In February of 1914, Nicholas Fadoal became the manager for a few months and in August of that year newspapers announced David Hollier was the new manager of the opera house. During this time it was called the Opelousas Opera House and also sometimes the Sandoz Opera House. It remained in business, with Hollier as its manager, until the end of 1916.
In 1917 the Opera House on the second floor of the now Abdalla’s Building was officially closed. George converted it to a storeroom for his very large expanding inventory. In 1921, Abdalla enlarged the old frame opera house building — adding 40 feet — and added bricks to the facade. He opened the new addition in August of that year. Just three years later, in November of 1924, Abdalla announced he had contracted with a firm to construct a brand-new modern building on his property on Main Street. Construction was to begin immediately after the first of the New Year.
Opera House Demolished
On January 1, 1925, the old Sandoz Opera House building was demolished. And with it the last of the old opera houses of Opelousas was gone. Only memories and great stories remained of days gone by with great performances and so many wonderful dramatic presentations.
The new building was completed, and the business opened. On the property where a well-known opera house once provided entertainment for the town, a large department store now stood. Abdalla’s Department Store continued to prosper and grow. As George’s children became adults, the Abdalla family had a furniture store in Opelousas, as well as other businesses, including a real estate business, plus department stores in Abbeville, Lafayette and New Iberia.
The Abdalla family closed their store in downtown Opelousas in the early 1980s and sold it to an Opelousas attorney and businessman who operated the business for a short time. Eventually by the mid 1980s, the store was closed for good. The building on the property on Main Street in downtown Opelousas where the old Littell/Sandoz Opera House once stood now remains vacant.
However, this is not the end of the story of the Opera Houses of Old Opelousas. There is one more part to complete this tale. Part four will tell the story of the Opera House that Never Was.
