On February 1, 1907, Harrisburg lost its magnificent Grand Opera House in a devastating fire that nearly wiped out the many buildings that surrounded it. The Grand Opera House was located at 3rd and Walnut Streets, within a short walk of the Pennsylvania Railroad Station, making it very accessible to residents of the Lykens Valley.
The above photograph was published in the Harrisburg Daily Independent on February 2, 1907 and shows a crowd of onlookers viewing the damage after the fire had been brought under control. The ruins were considered to be so dangerous that the mayor ordered the remaining walls to be dynamited.
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A second photograph published in the Harrisburg Daily Independent shows a view of the ruins looking north on 3rd Street.
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A similar photograph was published in the Harrisburg Telegraph on February 2, 1907.
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The Telegraph also published a picture of the Grand Opera House before the fire.
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Photos obtained through Newspapers.com.