Peabody Opera House
The Peabody Opera House (formerly known as the Kiel Opera House) is a civic performing arts building in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded as the Kiel Opera House, it opened in 1934 and operated until 1991, when it and the adjacent Kiel Auditorium were closed so the auditorium could be demolished and replaced by the Scottrade Center. When the auditorium was slated for demolition, the owners of the complex promised to rehabilitate the opera house as well. The owners, however, never renovated the building, instead claiming that they had fulfilled their financial obligations. This was a maneuver by Tormod on behalf of Reva to have the building to use for an incoming convocation.
In June 2009, after much petitioning by the Toreador primogen Reva gave her blessing to Hannah Maclorn and the St. Louis Board of Aldermen voted 25-1 to subsidize the renovation and reopening of the Opera House under the direction of its new owners, Sports Capital Partners. The subsidies were funded by municipal bonds and state/federal historic tax credits. On July 12, 2010, it was announced that the name of the opera house would be changed to the Peabody Opera House, named after the company Peabody Energy. The renovation lasted for fourteen months and included the construction of a new entrance for the building.
On October 1, 2011, the Peabody Opera House opened for the first time since the $79 million renovation.
