A historic performance and event venue restored in 2015. For rental inquiries, visit our website. Concerts, readings, theatre and graduations soon followed.
The 10,800-square-foot, three-story, brick Italianate Assion-Ruffing City Hall opened in 1865. Not a place of government, it was named for the grand event hall on its third floor that opened with a ball honoring returning Civil War soldiers. With the rising popularity later in the century of opera houses—not necessarily settings for opera, but for a variety of live performances—the upper-story hal
l was remodeled by local merchants John Lathrope, also a cornet player and Civil War infantry band captain, and John Ruffing, who constructed several Delphi buildings. They named the performance space the Lathrope & Ruffing Opera House. The first to perform on stage, on April 7, 1882, was soprano singer Marie Litta and the Litta Grand Opera Company. Among the performers were Hi Henry’s Minstrels, the Delphi Dramatic Club and Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley. In 1914, fire safety concerns prompted the end of entertainment because of the building’s lone stairway. While the lower floors continued to house retailers and offices over the years, including Ruffing Music Store, Wynkoop’s Pharmacy, a grocery and utility company, the third floor was simply abandoned. Paint peeled away, wallpaper fell to shards and cobwebs covered the space. Today, that building still stands, its third-floor performance space unused and untouched for nearly 100 years. As the dreams and investments of early settlers are being revived and the new Hoosier Heartland Highway is opening, Delphi expects to see growth in business, industry, newcomers and visitors. The Delphi Opera House will be a key 21st-century addition to the community and to some 370,000 people living within 50 miles. It will serve residents, attract visitors and enhance Delphi’s economic viability.
12/19/2024
Don't just rock around the Christmas tree this holiday season.
Rock with RockAmerica on NYE!😎🎶
Join us for an unforgettable night of vintage rock hit covers from groups such as Styx, Foreigner, and Journey!
✨ Enjoy a 90-minute live performance
✨ No tracks, no tuning down—just pure rock energy!
RockAmerica is your affordable ticket to relive the magic of classic rock. Don’t miss out—grab your tickets today!🎟
8 pm: Doors open--Appetizer Smorgasbord and Cash Bar
9 pm: ROCKAMERICA takes the stage
12 pm: Happy New Year! with complimentary champagne toast
12:15pm: Coffee to go and fond farewell
12/17/2024
Visit historic downtown Delphi this Thursday evening 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. as over 20 businesses will be open late, just for you!
🎅Visit SANTA in the Delphi Opera House and stop by the Delphi Public Library table (also inside the Opera House) for a make & take stocking stuffer and grab some other take & make projects!
🍪Sample some holiday treats & beverages
💰Shop for gift certificates
Big discounts on several last minute items
📷Visit Creative Photography By Jodi and enjoy all of their Christmas Selfie Stations!
🎄AND....don't forget all of the wonderfully decorated Christmas trees! Stayed tuned for a map of all of the great places to visit!
Follow the event for details! Christmas Tree Walk & Holiday Shopping
Need a little extra Christmas spirit?
Not finished with your shopping? We aren't!
Visit historic downtown Delphi this Thursday evening 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. as over 20 businesses will be open late, just for you!
🍪Sample some holiday treats & beverages
💰Shop for gift certificates
Big discounts on several last minute items
🎅Visit SANTA in the Delphi Opera House and stop by the Delphi Public Library table (also inside the Opera House) for a make & take stocking stuffer and grab some other take & make projects!
📷Visit Creative Photography By Jodi and enjoy all of their Christmas Selfie Stations!
🎄AND....don't forget all of the wonderfully decorated Christmas trees! Stayed tuned for a map of all of the great places to visit!
Please visit:
Peaceful Awakening
Hometown Shirts and Graphix
The Rock Shop
Opera House Gallery of Contemporary Art
Paretta's Italian Ristorante (inside the Delphi Opera House)
Sandtones Hair-Tanning-Nails
Black Flag Tattoo
Artemis Color Lounge and Lifestyle Studio
Be Still Holistic Wellness (NEW!!)
Carroll County Comet (inside the Delphi Opera House)
Fielding's Jewelry & Time
Delphi Pizza King
Mitchell's Mexican Grill
Chapel Gallery
Urban Chique Boutique
Jacob's ReDesigned
The Blue Moose
Los Compadres
HealthiesDelphi & Delphi Depot
Creative Photography By Jodi
Stone House Restaurant and Bakery (cookies & treats!)
Sandwich Shop
Brick & Mortar Pub
Delphi Opera House
Elements Smoke Shack
Follow the event for details! Christmas Tree Walk & Holiday Shopping
12/15/2024
Greetings of the season! The boards of the Delphi Opera House and the Delphi Preservation Society thank you for helping us fulfill our missions of bringing quality programs and promoting historic preservation in our community. Look at all we accomplished together in 2024! We invite you to become a member if you are not already and consider including us in your end-of-year giving. To join or make a gift, visit https://www.delphioperahouse.org/get-involved/become-a-member
12/12/2024
Who is ready to rock NYE with RockAmerica?
We know we are!!🎤🎸
Join RockAmerica on Tuesday, December 31 at the Delphi Opera House beginning at 8:00pm. Sing into 2025 to the most-loved vintage rock radio hits of Styx, Foreigner & Journey!
🎅 Santa will be in house, parade at 1pm, & a hand bell performance at 2pm 🔔
12/02/2024
NYE with RockAmerica!🎸
Join us on Tuesday, December 31 for an unforgettable night of vintage rock hit covers from groups such as Styx, Foreigner, and Journey!🎼
🎫Grab your tickets today! Ticket costs start at $25 and can be purchases online at www.delphioperahouse.org.
Can't wait to rock with you!
11/28/2024
Happy Thanksgiving
May your day be surrounded by the love and laughter of family and friends.
11/26/2024
Help us make the opera house extra festive this Christmas!
Do you have extra Christmas decorations? Would you like to help us make the opera house extra festive this year? We are looking for the following donations of decorations. If you have any to give, please contact Claudann at 847-707-1080 and she will meet you at the opera house or arrange to pick up the items. Thank you!!
Here is our wish list:
Very tall trees 9, 10, 11, and 12 feet; Garland; Large balls 4" 5" and 6"; Decorative Picks; Tree skirts; Ice skates; Sled; Sleigh; Lanterns; Battery-operated candles, large, not tea lights; Christmas elves; Large silver and gold deer; Large nutcrackers; Small musical toys; Wreaths and wreath hangers; Wrapping paper and ribbon.
11/26/2024
Looking for hands-on experience in sewing?🧵
📅Mark your calendar for Saturday, January 11 at 10:30am
Kay Gnagey (Originals by Kay), will be leading a session with an overview of 1860s fashions. Through helpful discussion and practical demonstrations, Kay will walk you through the ins and outs of sewing a garment from start to finish.
Want to dig a little deeper into the construction of historical clothing? Need tips on pattern adaptation, fabric selection, stitching, and other useful skills?
This workshop is for you! Kay will also be hosting an afternoon workshop from 1:00pm - 3:00pm. Don't miss your chance to sign up at https://www.delphioperahouse.org/events/events-tickets.
*Limited to 25 participants. All participants should bring pencil, paper, pens, and pins.
11/22/2024
Join us for an engaging and educational program when Kay Gnagey shares her passion and expertise on 1860s fashion and culture. With advances such as the sewing machine, synthetic dyes and the influence of European couture;1860s fashions were influential and liberating for both women and men. Come and learn along with us!🪡🧵
A wonderful opportunity to help you prepare for ball dance season, historic reenactments, theatrical productions AND the MARCH 22, 2025 Herald of Spring Ball at the DELPHI OPERA HOUSE.
Owner and chief designer for Originals by Kay, a Fort Wayne historical reproduction clothing company, Kay has published patterns for historical clothing, some under the KayFig pattern logo, and some for Simplicity. Internationally known for her expertise in mid-19th century clothing, Kay presents particularly the Civil War era. She has also created historical clothing reproductions for the National Park Service, Smithsonian, PBS, and Sony Pictures. While most of her work is concentrated in the Civil War era, she also researches and reproduces clothing from as early as 1800 to as late as 1910. Her interests include corsetry and outerwear, as well as millinery. Born in Germany, Kay lived in England for 10 years before moving to the Ft Wayne area in 1991.
Be sure to follow Kay on Facebook at Originals by Kay.
11/21/2024
Don't just rock around the Christmas tree this holiday season.
Rock with RockAmerica on NYE!😎🎶
Join us for an unforgettable night of vintage rock hit covers from groups such as Styx, Foreigner, and Journey!
✨ Enjoy a 90-minute live performance
✨ No tracks, no tuning down—just pure rock energy!
RockAmerica is your affordable ticket to relive the magic of classic rock. Don’t miss out—grab your tickets today!🎟
8 pm: Doors open--Appetizer Smorgasbord and Cash Bar
9 pm: ROCKAMERICA takes the stage
12 pm: Happy New Year! with complimentary champagne toast
12:15pm: Coffee to go and fond farewell
11/19/2024
Jingle All The Way🛎
Listen to the wonderful sounds of The Joyful Sound Community Handbell Choir on Saturday, December 7 from 2:00 - 3:00p.m.
💲FREE EVENT
📍The Delphi Opera House Stage (109 S Washington St., Delphi, IN 46923)
Sponsored by Delphi Public Library in partnership with Delphi Opera House
11/15/2024
Let the shows begin!🎬
Tonight is the first of three shows of Red Brick Theatre's production of "A Christmas Carol" at the Delphi Opera House.
Don't miss the opportunity to watch some Christmas magic before your eyes.🎄
Catch a glimpse into Red Brick Theatre's production of "A Christmas Carol" during rehearsals.
Let's pack the Delphi Opera House and support these amazing actors!👏
Showtimes:
🎩Friday, November 15 @ 7:30pm
🎩Saturday, November 16 @ 7:30pm
🎩Sunday, November 17 @ 3:30pm
*Sunday Extra Event at 1:30 p.m.
Ron Nicholson, professor emeritus, writer, poet, playwright, and educator, presents 'The Secrets of A Christmas Carol'. This free program is presented in partnership with Delphi Public Library and Delphi Opera House. Guests must purchase tickets for the 3pm production of 'A Christmas Carol.'
It's not too early to get into the Christmas spirit and purchase tickets to Red Brick Theatre's production, A Christmas Carol!
Catch a show for either November 15 & 16 at 7:30pm or November 17 at 3:00pm. Tickets start at $10 & are going fast!
📢Sunday Extra Event at 1:30 p.m.📢
Ron Nicholson, professor emeritus, writer, poet, playwright, and educator, presents 'The Secrets of A Christmas Carol'. This free program is presented in partnership with Delphi Public Library and Delphi Opera House. Guests must purchase tickets for the 3pm production of 'A Christmas Carol.'
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The 10,800-square-foot, three-story, brick Italianate Assion-Ruffing City Hall opened in 1865. Not a place of government, it was named for the grand event hall on its third floor that opened with a ball honoring returning Civil War soldiers.
With the rising popularity later in the century of opera houses—not necessarily settings for opera, but for a variety of live performances—the upper-story hall was remodeled by local merchants John Lathrope and John Ruffing naming the space the Lathrope & Ruffing Opera House.
The first to perform on stage, on April 7, 1882, was soprano singer Marie Litta and the Litta Grand Opera Company. Concerts, readings, theatre and graduations soon followed. Among the performers were Hi Henry’s Minstrels, the Delphi Dramatic Club, and Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley who performed there at least six times.
In 1914, fire safety concerns prompted the end of entertainment because of the building’s lone stairway. While the lower floors continued to house retailers and offices over the years, the third floor was simply abandoned and used as a storage room. Paint peeled away, wallpaper fell to shards, and cobwebs covered the space.
The Delphi Preservation Society bought two-thirds of the building in 1996; the remaining third was acquired in 2007. The Society got the building listed in the National Register of Historic Places, commissioned a feasibility study for its restoration, and stabilized a dislodged roof truss—all in the first four years of ownership.
By 2011 the Society had building’s structural integrity analyzed, restored the building’s facade, replaced the roof, commissioned a decorative arts analysis, and prepared program requirements and design specifications for restoring the building as a community center and venue for the performing arts.
The restoration of the Delphi Opera House became the centerpiece of projects as the City of Delphi applied for and was selected in 2012 as a Stellar Community. Following the groundbreaking in July 2014, the $4.375 million restoration of the Delphi Opera House moved at a fast pace. An addition to the rear of the historic structure doubled the size of the building adding space for an elevator, fire stairs, dressing rooms, a caterer’s kitchen, theater lobby, banquet hall, and meeting rooms along with fully-accessible restrooms on every floor.
In the auditorium the decorative elements were restored with five original wallpapers reproduced and faux-bois finishes restored. The tiered floor that once held fixed theatrical seating was replaced with a flat floor and banquet chairs and tables to ensure accessibility and flexibility in use of the room. A T-coil was added for the hearing impaired and modern sound and LED stage lighting systems installed.
The grand reopening of the Delphi Opera House took place in October 2015 with the first event a reenactment of the Civil War ball first held there in 1865! The theater has hosted nationally renown performers such as Jeff Daniels, Drew Hastings, Heywood Banks, Mary Flower, RayGene Wilson, Harpeth Rising, and others. Now in its fourth season of operation, the Delphi Opera House hosts more than 40 performances a year, including three community theatre offerings each season. More than 5,000 people per year come through the opera house doors for performances along with hundreds of others attending weddings, receptions, reunions, and community meetings.
We hope you will visit this heritage attraction, take a tour, or attend one of our many event offerings.
