Now known as the Opera House Lofts (and located in East Williamsburg, at least on paper), this stately building’s original name was Arion Hall, the headquarters for the Arion Singing Society, a German men’s choral group (or “Mannerchor”) whose musical selections catered to a working-class audience in Bushwick.
Some of the decorative elements on the fire escapes and roof (below) make it clear that this 1886 structure, on Arion Place (formerly called Wall Street) and Broadway, was all about music.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, when Bushwick was a predominantly German neighborhood, the Arion Singing Society regularly performed for local crowds. Apparently they were very well-received, as this Brooklyn Daily Eagle blurb notes.
Tags: Arion Place, Arion Singing Society, Bushwick, Opera House Lofts
Ephemeral New York 
July 14, 2008 at 4:05 pm |
[…] Mansion: A nice little bit on the history of the Opera House Lofts on Arion […]
March 9, 2011 at 4:35 am |
[…] Germans for several years,” stated a celebratory New York Times article. “The various German clubs and singing societies throughout the city interested themselves in the matter, and finally enough money was […]
November 25, 2012 at 4:39 am |
Any original photos existing in Brooklyn Historical Society? etc?
July 27, 2016 at 4:34 pm |
[…] The Church was designed by Cooper Union-educated architect Theobald Engelhardt a generation after the village of Bushwick was incorporated into the new City (!) of Brooklyn. Mr. Engelhardt located his own architecture office around the corner from the Church site on Broadway while the spire went up. It was in a building he also designed on what was then Brooklyn’s Wall Street, across the street from a German singing society hall the construction of which was paid for by its members, and which he also designed. […]
August 3, 2016 at 3:22 pm |
[…] The Church was designed by Cooper Union-educated architect Theobald Engelhardt a generation after the village of Bushwick was incorporated into the new City (!) of Brooklyn. Mr. Engelhardt located his own architecture office around the corner from the Church site on Broadway while the spire went up. It was in a building he also designed on what was then Brooklyn’s Wall Street, across the street from a German singing society hall the construction of which was paid for by its members, and which he also designed. […]