Newsletters

Spring 2002

Piper's receives $400,000 grant from Save America's Treasures

Piper's Opera House has been chosen as a recipient of one of the National Park Service's prestigious "Save America's Treasures" grants. This will give the historic theater an addition $400,000 for renovation. Plan for the money include earthquake retort of the ground floor and front facade. Learn more about this in the Nevada Appeal and from the National Park Service website.

Piper's Opera House
P.O. Drawer J
#1 North B Street
Virginia City
Nevada
89440

775-847-0433

, Executive Director

Piper's Opera House is located in Virginia City, Nevada, a big boom and medium bust town outside of Reno, Nevada. During the latter half of the nineteenth century, Virginia City was the Silicon Valley of the West - the center of technology based money, where every person had a shot at making a million. The industry was mining instead of computers but the excitement was the same. Mark Twain commented in his book "Roughing It" that he didn't bother to collect his weekly salary at the Territorial Enterprise in Virginia City because he made a lot more money from the stock certificates mine owners would give him to entice him to write about their mines.

Where there is big money there is big entertainment, and in the 1870s the big entertainment was happening at Piper's Opera House. For a bit more history, click on the link to the right.

Today,the vigorous restoration of Piper's is in full swing. Piper's Opera House Programs, Inc. the not-for-profit organization that owns Piper's was recently awarded $243,000 from the Nevada State Commission on Cultural Affairs for further restoration. The money will go towards the installation of an ADA wheelchair lift, making the front brick building earthquake safe and reinforcing the main auditorium floor.

If you have questions, please send e-mail to .

Copyright 2002 by Clarity Publications