The Napa Valley Opera House was built in 1879 as one of the first "respectable" venues west of the Mississippi River. For the latter half of the 19th century, the Napa Valley Opera House was the cultural center for the region, until the decline of vaudeville and other pressures forced it to go dark in 1914.

The house was nearly destroyed until a few Napa Valley Opera House devotees spared it from the wrecking ball in the early 1970s.

For the last 15 years, the NVOH has been slowly restoring itself for a new future through a series of fundraising challenges, construction activities and visionary plans. The house came back to life in June 2002 with the opening of the Cafe Theatre; its historic main hall reopened in late summer, 2003, in all of its original splendor.

A brief chronology of the NVOH’s historical high notes:

1879 - The NVOH, then called Crowey’s Opera House, is built and opens with Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore. The Opera House becomes a community gathering place. Jack London is featured here, as is John Philip Souza's band. Political rallies, town meetings, musical comedies, operas, melodramas, hypnotists and minstrel shows are regular fare.

1914 - Opera House closes due to the advent of film, the decline of vaudeville and damage suffered in the great 1906 San Francisco Bay Area earthquake.

1915-1975 - Opera House becomes home to a variety of businesses, including a rug shop, dry cleaners and a Chinese restaurant. During World War I, the building was used as an armory.

1973 - A local historical group wins its bid to have the Opera House registered as a National Historic Landmark, saving it from the wrecker’s ball or conversion to an office building.

1985 - A group of concerned citizens, led by artist Veronica di Rosa and historic preservationists, John Whitridge III and Thomas Thornley, form a non-profit group know as the Napa Valley Opera House for the purpose of restoring the theatre. They raise funds necessary for the purchase of the building. This same non-profit organization, though led by new volunteers, still governs the theatre today.

Regrettably, neither Ms. di Rosa nor Mr. Whitridge lives to see the completion of their dream.

1992 - The Opera House Board of Directors pledges to name the first floor of the theatre in memory of Veronica di Rosa to honor her pioneering leadership in saving the Napa Valley Opera House.

1985-1996 - The Napa Valley Opera House continues to mature as an organization. The Opera House creates a performing arts program to take professional presentations to local schools. The Opera House League is formed. Fundraising continues with the Buy-A-Brick program and special events.

Over the years, the organization benefits from the leadership of several capable and visionary presidents, including KC Cunningham and Chuck Ball, who increase the professionalism of the organization during their respective terms in office.

1997 - The Opera House’s beautiful Italianate façade is restored to its original splendor, providing the community with a remembrance of the past and a vision for the future. William F. Kieschnick, CEO Emeritus of the Atlantic Richfield Corporation, begins his first term as president. Local vintner and philanthropist Robert Mondavi issues a challenge grant of $2 million.

1998 - The Opera House supporters raise the funds to earn Mr. Mondavi’s challenge in record time, thus earning a $200,000 bonus gift. The second floor theatre is named in honor of Margrit Biever Mondavi.

1999 - Light the Lights Community Campaign co-chairs Alexis Handelman and Joan Harrison Cohn raise $500,000 as a sign of the community’s support of the Opera House.

2000 - Michael Savage joins the Opera House as Executive Director. Michael is able to draw upon his years as an executive in the business and performing arts community to bring world class resources and advisors to the NVOH.

The design of the theatre is upgraded to a state-of-the-art performing arts center capable of staging a wide variety of professional productions. These changes included a taller fly-tower and a larger and more flexible orchestra pit. A 25-foot addition - - the River House - - is added to the rear of the building, providing necessary additional space and to tie the building to Napa’s redevelopment of the river.

The River House also includes a stage elevator, dressing rooms, and a Green Room. Projected costs of the upgrades are $3 million, so a new phase of the restoration must begin. A new donor group is formed called Studio 1030, which provides members with intimate performances by top-quality artists.

2001 - Design of the Napa Valley Opera House is completed and the construction work continues. Structural steel is in place as is the new roof. A time capsule is buried beneath the new foundation. The Opera House gears up to open in 2002 and begins to build the infrastructure to support a fully operational theatre. An audience survey, of potential patrons in Napa County, the other nine counties of the San Francisco Bay Area, and recent tourists to Napa County from major US cities, reinforces the overwhelming support and need for a performing arts center of this type in Napa County. Repertoire planning for the opening season begins.

2002 - In June, 2002, the Napa Valley Opera House opens again with an unforgettable performance by jazz diva Dianne Reeves. The first full season is launched, with offerings in jazz, classical music, family programming, comedy and other events in the intimate Cafe Theatre.

2003 - The Napa Valley Opera House re-opened its doors last August, after 90 years in the dark. With the completion of the Margrit Biever Mondavi Theatre restoration, the dream finally came true. Today, the Napa Valley Opera House once again is the pride of the Napa Valley. Its restoration is the fruit of decades of effort, tens of thousands of hours of volunteer work and genuine tenacity in the face of overwhelming odds.

2004 - After a national search, Evy Warshawski was named Executive Director in 2004, and the NVOH now boasts a year-round calendar of events plus a staff of ten full-time professionals overseeing marketing, development, box office, finance and production.