The Grand Opera House, from its earliest iteration as the Academy of Music, has spent much of the past thirteen decades finding its way to consistently fulfill the expectations for greatness that were thrust upon it. It’s a survival story on a par with few others, with one of the greatest payoffs for its town’s residents in American theatre history. Arguably more than any other cultural institution in town, The Grand has penetrated deep into the fabric of Macon life, and it is not unusual to find third and even fourth generations of families coming to Grand events just as their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents did (and still do, with them).
1884 – Academy of Music
After a string of short-lived performance halls from as early as 1832, a group of…
1904 – The Grand Opera House
And so the greatly expanded footprint of the 1904 Grand Opera House was constructed for…
1905 – 1934: The Golden Era
Over the next handful of years, the Grand played host to the leading performers of…
1935 – Grand Theatre Cinema
At the end of 1935 The Grand Opera House became the Grand Theatre cinema. Not…
1945 – God Is My Co-Pilot
Amidst all the years of popcorn and soda, the Grand Theatre had one evening that…
1967 – Macon Arts Council Formed
By 1966 it appeared to be all over for The Grand. The crumbling old building…
1969 – Save the Grand
It was also slow, grinding work, but month after month brought incremental progress. In March…
1970 – The Grand Opera House Restored
The rechristened Grand Opera House reopened with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performing, under the direction…
1995 – Mercer at the Helm
Dr. Kirby Godsey was named Mercer University’s 17th president midway through 1979, and he very…
2016-2017 – A Grand Renovation
Thanks to the support of the Mayor and the Commissioners of the joint Macon –…