» PHOTO FEATURE: Then & Now, looking back in Dayton
The opera house, located on Fifth Street, is the subject of this week's update to the popular Then & Now photo feature, which explores past and present views of notable Dayton locations.
The opera house, which originally had seating for 1,200 patrons, changed names over the course of its history.
In 1889, it was renamed Park Theater and was one of the first sites in Dayton to play motion pictures.
In 1906, it was called the Lyric (the era this photograph was taken in) and expanded to become a “high class vaudeville house,” according to Dalton’s narrative.
The theatre closed its doors in 1968 while under the name Mayfair. The following year, the structure was destroyed in a fire.
Today the Dayton Convention Center is on the site.
» INTO THE PAST: Historic photos of Dayton Convention Center
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