Built on Community. Restored by Service. Progresses with Passion.

About Us

The Brooklyn Opera House, built in 1911 as a performance venue, was renovated by Brooklyn Community Development and reopened in 2020. The much-loved building again hosts live events, movies, weddings and performances.

History

100 Years Strong

The opera house was originally planned to house an assembly hall, a new town hall, and the town's fire station. However, Mr. C.E. Brooks, who 30 years later became Brooklyn's mayor, halted construction of this new facility, claiming that a town could not own a for-profit entity like an opera house.

This battle went all the way to the Iowa Supreme Court and Mr. Brooks eventually got his way. The city abandoned the original plan and built their town hall and fire station elsewhere. Mr. Brooks privately raised the funds to build the opera house. Over 100 years later, the Brooklyn Opera House still stands.