Piper's Opera House

The story begins with John Piper, a German immigrant who came west in the great 1860 rush to the Comstock after years running a fruit and liquor stand near the theaters of San Francisco. He knew that a boomtown flush with silver money needed entertainment, and in 1867 he took over an existing theater, Maguire's Opera House, and renamed it after himself.

That first Piper's burned in the Great Fire of Virginia City in 1875, which destroyed much of the town. Piper rebuilt, only to watch his second opera house burn in 1883 as well. Undaunted, he built a third time, and it is that 1885 building, rising from the ashes of two fires, that still stands today. Its survival through fire, silver bust, and more than a century of neglect and rescue is a story in itself.

In its heyday Piper's could seat close to a thousand people, and, like most so-called opera houses of the 19th century, it almost never staged an actual opera. It was really a music hall and civic gathering place, open to just about anything that drew a crowd: touring plays and vaudeville acts, society dances and political debates, revival meetings, boxing matches, and even the occasional staged bear fight.

The roster of people who appeared here reads like a who's who of the era. The beauty Lily Langtry and the singer Lillian Russell performed on its stage, and the great tragedian Edwin Booth played it. Mark Twain, who had cut his teeth as a young reporter on Virginia City's newspaper, returned to lecture at both Maguire's and Piper's. The preacher Henry Ward Beecher and the suffragist Susan B. Anthony addressed enormous crowds here as well, giving the hall a place in the nation's cultural and political life, not just its entertainment.

One of the delights of Piper's is how much of the real theater survives. The most famous detail is the stage itself: a raked wooden floor that slopes gently toward the audience, built with a spring to it so that it flexed underfoot, giving dancers extra bounce and helping actors' voices carry. To stand on those boards is to feel the same give that performers felt a century and a half ago.

The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and with help from the state of Nevada and the National Park Service it has been stabilized and kept alive as a working venue. Rather than being frozen behind glass, the old hall still hosts performances, tours, and community events, so the boards go on being trod, exactly as John Piper intended when he rebuilt for the third time.

Piper's stands on B Street in the heart of Virginia City, within an easy walk of the town's boardwalks, old saloons, and mine-tour sites, so it slots naturally into a day exploring the preserved Comstock. Because it is a historic working theater rather than a full-time attraction, the best way to see the interior is on a tour or by catching one of its performances or events, so it is worth checking what is on before you go.

Virginia City sits high on the mountainside, so bring a layer against the wind even on a warm day in the valleys below. Whether you come for a show or simply to stand in the hushed old hall and imagine Mark Twain at the lectern, Piper's Opera House offers something rare: a chance to step directly into the golden, gaudy world the silver of the Comstock built.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.