Opera house as wealthy patrons and it continues to have a large number of working opera houses such as Teatro Massimo in Palermo (the biggest in Italy), Teatro di San Carlo in Naples (the world's oldest working opera house) and Teatro La Scala in Milan. In contrast, there was no opera house in London when Henry Purcell was composing and the first opera house in Germany was built in Hamburg in 1678. In the 17th and 18th centuries, opera houses were often financed by rulers, nobles, and wealthy people who used patronage of the arts to endorse their political ambition and social
Chester City Hall and Opera House Chester City Hall and Opera House Chester City Hall and Opera House is a historic city hall and theatre located at Chester, Chester County, South Carolina. It was built in 1890-1891, and is a Romanesque Revival style brick building. The façade consists of three sections: a four-story tower, gabled three-story central section, and a less ornate section three-story section. The interior was renovated following a fire in 1929, which destroyed the original spire tower containing a four-faced clock. Since 1891, this building has housed the town's administrative offices. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.