After a fire the interior was redesigned. &nbsp;The gold auditorium included the largest proscenium in America. &nbsp;The diamond horseshoe box seats were restored.&nbsp;

Not surprisingly the last performance was a Gala which brought out all the Met stars. &nbsp;

JC Cady won the design competition with a scheme that was functional, featured fireproof materials, and low construction costs. It also incorporated the newest engineering technologies, including electric lights, elevators, an iron cage for structural support, a sprinkler system for fire suppression, and a simple air conditioning system.When completed, it seated 3,700 people and was the largest opera house in the world.  Its four-story façade had matching seven-story towers with commercial establishments on the ground level, restaurants and ballrooms above, and apartments for bachelors in the upper levels. &nbsp;Very shortly after its construction, the Opera House became the see and be seen place for New Yorkers. &nbsp;Over the course of its life, there were several fires and some redecoration. &nbsp;The Metropolitan Opera Association flirted with demolition in 1938 but a concerted fundraising effort by the public saved the structure. The building was not so lucky thirty years later when the Landmarks Commission despite heroic efforts by the Citizen's Committee for the Preservation of Metropolitan Opera with champions of Governor Rockefeller and Mayor John Lindsay, voted not to designate it. &nbsp;

Old Metropolitan Opera House

The 13-story building was constructed for the National Shoe &amp; Leather Bank

The building was sold to the Chemical Bank. It was demolished, and the site is now occupied by Tower 270, completed in 1930.

271 Broadway - National Shoe and Leather Bank

One of the most successful and prolific architects of his generation, Cady was known for his Romanesque Revival buildings. &nbsp;He built many churches, offices, and 15 buildings at Yale. &nbsp;

Josiah Cleaveland Cady

SITES