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Photograph of Grand Opera House
Photograph by Smallbones, Public domain. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Masonic Hall and Grand Theater

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

From the record

“The Grand Opera House, also known as The Grand or Masonic Hall and Grand Theater, is a 1,208-seat theater for the performing arts in Wilmington, Delaware, United States. The four-story building was built in 1871 by the Delaware Grand Lodge of Masons to serve as a Masonic Temple and auditorium.”

Wikipedia article Grand Opera House (Wilmington, Delaware), CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 411 National Register listings published here for New Castle County · listed in 1972 · category: Building.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
  • Still standing. The Park Service records this property as extant.
  • Address. 818 N. Market St., Wilmington, 19801
  • When was it listed? December 1972
  • Category. building
  • Census division. Wilmington
  • Architectural style. Second Empire architecture in the United States and Canada
  • Architect. Thomas Dixon
  • National Register reference number. 72000294 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

3 since 2004

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 3 fires within 5 miles of Masonic Hall and Grand Theater between 2004 and 2017, burning about 1 acre in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined2
Equipment and vehicle use1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
19 April 2017Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreNew Jersey Forest Fire Servicenot named
20 November 2004Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreDelaware State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
10 November 2004Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreDelaware State Fire Marshal's Officenot named

Every fire recorded in New Castle County

Mines and quarries near this property

5 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 5 workings within 5 miles of Masonic Hall and Grand Theater: 3 plants, 2 past producers. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Chromium, Titanium, Fluorine-Fluorite, Titanium, Pigment. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
American Minerals/ Wilmington, De.ChromiumPast Producer
Edgemoor Plant TiTitanium, PigmentPlant1956
Wilmington Plant DupontTitaniumPlant
Wilmington Plantozark-MahoningFluorine-FluoritePlant
Winzinger PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in New Castle County

Storms near this property

31 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Wilmington, the town this property stands in, in 31 storm reports between 1995 and 2026: 16 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail, 3 flood, 3 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2013Thunderstorm WindWilmington$25,000A severe thunderstorm knocked down a couple of trees in Wilmington.
June 2025LightningWilmington$1,000Multiple structure fire reports near Wilmington due to lightning strikes. Time estimated.
March 2026Thunderstorm WindWilmington-Downed tree in Wilmington blocking an exit off I-95 Northbound. Downed tree limbs also reported in neighborhoods nearby. Time estimated from radar.
March 2026Thunderstorm WindWilmington-Numerous reports of tree damage and powerlines down across the city of Wilmington. Time estimated.
June 2023Flash FloodWilmington-Governor Printz Boulevard was closed in Edgemoor between Lea Boulevard and Edgemoor Road due to flooding.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindWilmington-A couple reports were received of downed wires near 10th St. Time estimated from radar.
August 2020Flash FloodWilmington-East 12th Street was closed at Interstate 495 in Wilmington due to flooding.
April 2020Thunderstorm WindWilmington-A couple reports of tree limbs and wires down in the area. Time estimated from radar.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindWilmington-Trees down or snapped on North Madison Street between West 9th and West 10th streets in Wilmington. Time estimated from radar.
February 2016FloodWilmington-The Brandywine river flooded the afternoon of 2/25 due to heavy rain from the night before. The Brandywine State park had flooding in the parking lot starting around 11am. The local museum further upstream also was closed for the day. Some high water was also noted at the local zoo.
April 2015Flash FloodWilmington-Thunderstorms with heavy rain caused flash flooding along 12th Street near the Brandywine Creek in Wilmington. Vehicles were stuck in flood waters on that roadway. No serious injuries were reported. Event precipitation totals since the morning of the 20th included 2.83 inches at the New Castle County Airport, 2.81 inches in Newport, 2.52 inches in Newark and 2.40 inches in Hockessin.
July 2013Thunderstorm WindWilmington-A severe thunderstorm knocked down trees and wires in Wilmington.
June 2012HailWilmington-A thunderstorm dropped nickel-size hail in Wilmington.
August 2011HailWilmington-Quarter size hail fell from a severe thunderstorm in Wilmington.
September 2011FloodWilmington-The Brandywine Creek at Wilmington was above its 16.5 foot flood stage from 915 a.m. EDT through 1141 a.m. EDT on the 8th. It crested at 16.7 feet at 1015 a.m. EDT on the 8th.
May 2010HailWilmington-Nickel to quarter size hail fell in Wilmington. In northern Wilmington, the hail briefly covered the ground.
March 2009HailWilmington-Dime to nickel size hail fell in northeastern New Castle County in Wilmington and Brandywine Hundred.
June 2009HailWilmington-The same severe thunderstorm dropped penny size hail in Wilmington.
August 2008Heavy RainWilmington-Thunderstorms with heavy rain caused poor drainage flooding that entered a couple of basement apartments at the Dana Apartments on North Tatnall Street. About a dozen residents were evacuated from two basement apartments. Three apartments and families above the flooded apartments were also displaced because the electricity was turned off. The building sits lower than the street. Adjusted for hail Doppler Radar storm total estimates were between one inch and an inch and a quarter.
October 1995Thunderstorm WindWilmington-A severe thunderstorm caused wind damage to the Pike Creek Shopping Center in the Prices Corner area of New Castle County. Extensive roof damaged occurred in the strip mall with Eckerd Drug, Buster Brown and Carousel Cards hit the hardest. In surrounding areas the severe thunderstorm caused slight wind damage to two buildings in the Goldey-Beacom College. Snapped and downed trees took down wires and caused power outages to about 4,000 persons.
February 2008FloodWilmington-no account filed
July 2006Thunderstorm WindWilmington-no account filed
July 2006Thunderstorm WindWilmington-no account filed
September 2006Thunderstorm WindWilmington-no account filed
August 2004Thunderstorm WindWilmington-no account filed
June 2001HailWilmington-no account filed
March 2000Thunderstorm WindWilmington-no account filed
August 1999LightningWilmington-no account filed
August 1999Thunderstorm WindWilmington-no account filed
July 1998Thunderstorm WindWilmington-no account filed
June 1997Thunderstorm WindWilmington-no account filed

Every storm recorded in New Castle County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
Govatos'/McVey Buildingunder 500 feet1985
Charles Gray Printing Shopunder 500 feet1985
Max Keil Buildingunder 500 feet1985
Wilmington Savings Fund Societyunder 500 feet1985
Henry Townsend Buildingunder 500 feet1985
F. W. Woolworth Company Buildingunder 500 feet1987

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 72000294 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
New Castle CountyAll 411 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.