Free previewStop 3 of Haunted Charleston Walking Tour
The Theater That Wouldn't Stay Gone
You're standing at the corner of Queen Street and Church Street, in the old French Quarter, outside the Dock Street Theatre. Look at the Church Street side of the building: the wrought iron balcony, and below it the sandstone columns. They were added in 1835, when this building was a hotel, not a theater. That's the first clue that this corner has a habit of coming back.
On February 12, 1736, a playhouse opened here with a comedy called The Recruiting Officer. Back then Queen Street was called Dock Street, which is how the theater got its name. It was the first building in the colonies built just for plays. The first opera performed in America, a piece called Flora, was staged here too. Then, most likely, the Great Fire of 1740 swept through the French Quarter around you, and the playhouse went with it.
That's the opening. The rest plays at stop 3 of Haunted Charleston Walking Tour (3 min in all). Unlock the tour to hear it all, or try stop 1 free first.
