Blake's Opera House

Blake's Opera House is a Michigan historical marker in Grand Ledge, Eaton County, dedicated 2000.

121 S. Bridge Street, Grand Ledge

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Constructed in 1884 as a roller skating rink, this building was purchased by Peter Blake and opened as Blake’s Opera House in 1886. Here, audiences enjoyed talent shows, vaudeville, silent movies and athletic contests. Between 1928 and 1984, the Stephens and Mapes families used the building as a furniture store. The Mapes family donated the building for a community center. It was restored by the Grand Ledge Area Historical Society and the chamber of commerce.

TodayHistorical map

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Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library

Historical maps covering this location

1873 · (Map of Eaton County, Michigan) (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1873 · Michigan. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1874 · Colton's Michigan (1874) (Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1888 · Political map of Michigan 1888 (Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library)
1897 · Southern Michigan. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

(Map of Eaton County, Michigan), 1873, covering the location of Blake's Opera House, with a pin at the marker's coordinates — (Map of Eaton County, Michigan), 1873, covering this location. David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries. The pin is ours, placed from the marker's coordinates.

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Marker data: Michigan History Center
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