HISTORY
Our Mission
The National Opera House (NOH) is a nonprofit organization based out of Pittsburgh, PA. Our primary mission is to preserve the arts, culture, and music in underserved communities. We welcome you to join us on this journey.
HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL OPERA HOUSE
1865
Land Sold
The property on which the house now stands originally belonged to Samuel Chadwick, Dr. John A Wilson and his wife Sarah Wilson, who sold the land to Andrew Woolslayer in 1865
1868
Land Sold
He sold it in 1868 to John F. Wilharm and he and his wife Johanna held on to the property for the next 22 years.
1890
Land Sold
John F. Wilharm and his wife Johanna sold the land to George Shafer in 1890. Shafer and his wife Lizzie bought the land for $5,750.
1894
Home Built
Shafer and his wife Lizzie are believed to have been the ones to construct the Queen Anne style home on what was then called Spencer Street. The Shafer family lived in the home until the early 20s, when he passed away.
1924
Home Inherited and Sold
Lizzie inherited and sold the home to a partnership of three buyers in 1924. The three buyers were Flora M. Fornao, William Lambert Surfer, and Tillie E. Butler bought the house and the three surrounding acres for $15,000. Around this time Spencer Street was renamed Apple Street, as it is still known to this day.
Early 1920s to Early 1930s
Black Wealth Acquisitions
A major change came in the early 1920s to early 1930s when wealthy African Americans like Robert L. Vann and others began buying properties within Homewood, which at the time was still a mostly white neighborhood.
1930
William A. “Woogie” Harris Acquires Home
William A. “Woogie” Harris, acquired the manor on Apple Street in 1930. Woogie, the older brother of the renowned Pittsburgh photographer Charles “Teenie” Harris, also owned Crystal Barbershop on Wylie Avenue in the Hill District. He and his partner Gus Greenlee, known as the famed owner of the Pittsburgh Crawfords, became the major figures in the numbers racket of the city. Woogie used the barbershop on Wylie Avenue as a front for this very lucrative business.
1930 - 1967
William A. “Woogie” Harris Acquires Home
Woogie and his wife, Ada B. lived in the home during the more exciting years of the house, in contrast with its earlier “quiet” years. From the 1930s until Harris’s death in 1967, the house hosted some of the most famous personalities of black society, arts, and culture. Harris was known for his generosity and for hosting glamorous parties, with guests arriving in fancy cars and furs to be entertained by the likes of Count Basie and Lena Horne. Never knowing what celebrity might be on the guest list, the house became known as the “Mystery Manor”. During the time of discriminatory housing and lodging laws, Harris also provided accommodations to artists and athletes who were unable to stay in other parts of the city. It was a safe house for great musicians, such as Cab Calloway, Lena Horne and Duke Ellington, and for athletes, such as heavyweight champion Joe Louis, Pittsburgh legend Roberto Clemente, as well as Roy Jefferson, John Nesby, and Marvin Woodson of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
1941
Mary Cardwell Dawson Leases Space
It was also Harris who rented the upper floors of the house to Mary Cardwell Dawson so that the National Negro Opera Company, founded in Pittsburgh in 1941, could rehearse.
MARY CARDWELL DAWSON'S LIFE & CAREER
February 14, 1894
Mary Lucinda Cardwell Dawson
She was born in 1894 in Madison, North Carolina.
1902
Moved To Munhall, Pennsylvania
At age seven, she moved north with her family to Munhall, Pennsylvania. Her father found work at the Hobson and Walker Brickyard in Homestead. Madame Dawson learned to sing in the choir of her church. She enrolled in the New England Conservatory of Music, the only African American in her class.
Age of 31
Earns Multiple Degrees
At the age of 31, she graduated with degrees in voice and piano and continued her studies at the Chicago Musical College in New York with a dream of becoming an opera singer.
Mar. 26, 1926
Event 1
Mary L. Cardwell gave pianoforte and voice recital at Bethleham Baptist Church, Pittsburgh, Pa.
1927
Returns To Pittsburgh
Realizing that there were no opportunities for African American opera singers she returned home to Pittsburgh in 1927 with her new husband Walter Dawson. She opened the Cardwell Dawson School of Music in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh.
Nov. 22, 1929
Event 2
Cardwell Dawson accompanied tenor Claudius James Broadfield at a recital at Wilmerding Christian Association, Wilmerding, Pa.
May 6, 1930
Event 3
Cardwell Dawson and her Concert Company gave a recital at Schenley High School, Pittsburgh, Pa.
June 30, 1930
Event 4
Pupils of Mary Cardwell Dawson gave the sixth annual recital at Rodman Street Baptist Church, Pittsburgh, Pa.
April 28, 1932
Event 5
The Merry Milkmaids, an operetta in two acts by C. H. Gabriel, performed at Schenley High School (Mary Cardwell Dawson directed)
May 27, 1932
Event 6
The Merry Milkmaids performed at Carnegie Library, Pittsburgh, Pa. (Mary Cardwell Dawson directed)
June 8, 1933
Event 7
Cardwell School of Music concert at Herron Hill Junior High School Auditorium, Pittsburgh, Pa.
July 11, 1933
Event 8
“The Heavenly Road: A beautiful religious pageant sermon in song” staged and directed by Dawson at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Pittsburgh, Pa.
December 15, 1933
Event 9
Artist Programme at Carron Street Baptist Church, Pittsburgh, Pa.
December 29, 1933
Event 10
Saengerfest, presented by the Pittsburgh branch of the National Association of Negro Musicians, at Irene Kaufmann Settlement, Pittsburgh, Pa
August 26-30, 1933
Event 11
Convention of the National Association of Negro Musicians, Pittsburgh, Pa.
November 29, 1935
Event 12
Cardwell School of Music Choir and Clairton Community Choral recital, Clairton High School, Clairton, Pa.
May 27, 1937
Event 13
Third annual concert of the Cardwell Dawson Choir, Carnegie Music Hall, Pittsburgh, Pa.
June 17, 1937
Event 14
Fourth annual concert of the Cardwell Dawson Choir, Carnegie Music Hall, Pittsburgh, Pa.
May 19, 1938
Event 15
Cardwell Dawson Choir performed at Greenburg High School Auditorium
May 31, 1938
Event 16
Fourth annual concert of the Cardwell Dawson Choir, Carnegie Music Hall, Pittsburgh, Pa.
July 31-August 4, 1938
Event 17
Pittsburgh branch of the National Association of Negro Musicians observed National Music Week.
September 15, 1938
Event 18
Mary Cardwell Dawson recital, John Wesley A.M.E. Zion Church, Pittsburgh, Pa.
March 23, 1939
Event 19
Fifth annual concert of the Cardwell Dawson Choir, Carnegie Music Hall, Pittsburgh, Pa.
May 26 1939
Event 20
Benefit concert by the Cardwell Dawson Choir, Carnegie Music Hall, Pittsburgh, Pa.
April 2, 1940
Event 21
Sixth annual concert of the Cardwell Dawson Choir, Carnegie Music Hall, Pittsburgh, Pa.
1941
Birth of The National Negro Opera Company (NNOC)
After presenting the opera Aida at the National Association of Negro Musicians convention of 1941, Dawson launched the NNOC later that same year with a performance at Pittsburgh’s Syria Mosque, starring La Julia Rhea. The NNOC was the first opera company to be fully run by a woman and very few were run by a person of color. By doing both, Mary Cardwell Dawson created history
May 9, 1941
Event 22
Sixth annual concert of the Cardwell Dawson Choir, Carnegie Music Hall, Pittsburgh, Pa.
May 27, 1941
Event 23
Cardwell Dawson Choir performed R. Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses, Carnegie Music Hall, Pittsburgh, Pa.
August 5, 1941
Event 24
Night of Opera at Wendell Phillips High School Auditorium (Chicago Campaign Committee of the National Negro Opera Company).
August 18, 1941
Event 25
Night of Opera at Wendell Phillips High School Auditorium (Chicago Campaign Committee of the National Negro Opera Company).
August 24-29, 1941
Event 26
National Association of Negro Musician’s 21st annual convention, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Pittsburgh, Pa.
August 29, 1941
Event 27
Cardwell Dawson School of Music and Pittsburgh Branch of the National Association of Negro Musicians presented Aida, Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, Pa.
October 30, 1941
Event 28
Mary Cardwell Dawson presented Aida, Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, Pa.
June 5, 1942
Event 29
Mary Cardwell Dawson, soprano and her Special Octette gave recital, Senior High School Auditorium, Uniontown, Pa.
October 10-11, 1942
Event 30
Chicago Negro Opera Guild performed Aida, Civic Opera House, Chicago, Ill.
January 24, 1943
Event 31
Inaugural program, Wendell Phillips High School, Chicago
March 25, 1943
Event 32
Benefit midnight show, presented stars and artists of the cast of Porgy and Bess, Leo Weil School, Pittsburgh, Pa.
April 18, 1943
Event 33
National Negro Opera Company, Inc. Official mass meeting, Schenley High School, Pittsburgh, Pa.
August 28, 1943
Event 34
La Traviata, Watergate, Washington, D.C.
October 26, 1943
Event 35
La Traviata, Civic Opera House, Chicago.
January 25, 1944
Event 36
La Traviata, Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, Pa.
March 29, 1944
Event 37
La Traviata, Madison Square Garden, New York City.
July 29, 1944
Event 38
Faust, Watergate, Washington, D.C.
August 26, 1944
Event 39
Aida, Coliseum, Chicago.
October 15, 1944
Event 40
Aida, Uline Arena, Washington, D.C. (rescheduled from July 30 and then Sept. 17).
December 25, 1944
Event 41
New York Campaign Committee of the National Negro Opera Company sponsored third of a series of “pleasant Sunday afternoon musicals,” Church of Christ, New York.
December 31, 1944
Event 42
New York Campaign Committee of the National Negro Opera Company sponsored fourth of a series of “pleasant Sunday afternoon musicals,” Salem M.E. Church, New York.
January 7, 1945
Event 43
New York chapter of the National Negro Opera Company presented Grand Concert, St. Marks M.E. Church, New York.
June 28, 1945
Event 44
National Negro Opera Company sponsored Battle of Song: a Citywide Vocal Contest, Salem M.E. Church, New York.
October 21-27, 1945
Event 45
First Annual National Negro Opera Meet & Exhibit, Headquarters, YMCA with special events at various downtown locations, New York.
April 28, 1946
Event 46
Chicago Opera Guild presented The Ordering of Moses, Eighth Street Theatre.
June 30, 1946
Event 47
Mary Cardwell Dawson singers with augmented chorus of over 100 performed The Ordering of Moses, Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, Pa.
February 28, 1947
Event 48
Mary Cardwell Dawson recital, Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, Washington, D.C.
July 19, 1947
Event 49
First Annual Music and Dance Festival, Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.
August 5, 1947
Event 50
New York Opera Guild of the National Negro Opera Company sponsored First Annual Music and Dance Festival, Carnegie Hall, New York.
November 30, 1947
Event 51
Chicago Opera Guild presented Mary Cardwell Dawson recital, Wendell Phillips High School.
February 25, 1948
Event 52
Mary Cardwell Dawson recital, Carnegie Music Hall, Pittsburgh, Pa. (benefit for National Negro Opera Company).
April 3, 1948
Event 53
New York, Newark and Washington Guilds of the National Negro Opera Company sponsored “An Afternoon of Stars,” Carnegie Hall, New York.
April 30, 1948
Event 55
Mary Cardwell Dawson recital, Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, Washington, D.C.
June 24, 1948
Event 56
The Chicago Negro Opera Guild in concert, New Friendship Baptist Church, Chicago.
August 1-7, 1948
Event 57
National Negro Opera Meet and Exhibit, multiple locations, Washington, D.C.
August 7, 1948
Event 58
Second Annual Spectacular Music Festival, Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.
November 19, 1948
Event 59
John Anglin, tenor in concert with Mary Cardwell Dawson, piano, Asbury Methodist Church, Washington, D.C. (Benefit Opera Fund).
February 10, 1949
Event 60
Washington Opera Guild sponsored Pre-Valentine Benefit Dance, Lincoln Colonnade, Washington, D.C.
April 30, 1949
Event 61
Aida, National Guard Armory, Washington, D.C.
August 21-26, 1949
Event 62
Third Annual Opera Meet and Exhibit, multiple locations in Washington, D.C.
August 26, 1949
Event 63
Third Annual Gala Music Festival, Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.
November 4, 1949
Event 64
Mary Cardwell Dawson Presents her Program of Musical Gems,” Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, Washington, D.C.
November 27, 1949
Event 65
Bertha M. Bragg, soprano and Mary Cardwell Dawson, piano, John Wesley A.M.E. Zion Church, Washington, D.C. (Benefit Recital).
March 31, 1950
Event 66
National Negro Opera Foundation received charter and incorporated in the District of Columbia.
April 9, 1950
Event 67
First Annual Easter Fashion Parade and Symposium, John Wesley A.M.E. Zion Church, Washington, D.C.
May 19, 1950
Event 68
A Night at the Opera, Howard Theatre, Washington, D.C.
July 28, 1950
Event 69
The Ordering of Moses, Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C. (fourth annual presentation).
October 1, 1950
Event 70
Chicago Negro Opera Guild presented Opera Festival, Kimball Hall, Chicago.
November 20, 1950
Event 71
The Ordering of Moses, Shiloh Baptist Church, Washington, D.C.
February 25, 1951
Event 70
The Ordering of Moses, Allegany High School Auditorium, Cumberland, Maryland.
March 24, 1951
Event 71
Second Annual Easter Fashion Parade, Washington, D.C.
June 15, 1951
Event 72
The Ordering of Moses, Carnegie Hall, New York.
September 30, 1951
Event 73
Fifth Annual Music festival, Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.
February 3, 1952
Event 74
National Negro Opera Company and Chicago Negro Opera Guild sponsored Galaxy of Stars – an afternoon of opera (pre-opera benefit), Metropolitian Community Church, Chicago.
March 29, 1952
Event 75
National Negro Opera Company and Chicago Negro Opera Guild sponsored Faust, Civic Opera, Chicago.
August 15, 1952
Event 76
Sixth Annual Music Festival presented Faust, Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.
September 14, 1952
Event 77
Aida, Convention Hall, 178th Armory, Chicago.
October 19, 1952
Event 78
National Negro Opera Foundation and the Washington Opera Guild presented Court of Famous Characters (excerpts from Aida, Faust, Naughty Marietta, Il Trovatore and The Ordering of Moses), Turner Memorial A.M.E. Church, Washington, D.C.
November 20, 1952
Event 79
National Negro Opera Foundation and the Washington Opera Guild sponsored Pre-Thanksgiving Dance (benefit), Convention Hall, 178th Armory, Chicago.
January 9, 1953
Event 80
Court of Famous Characters (excerpts from Aida, Faust, Naughty Marietta, Il Trovatore and The Ordering of Moses), Turner Memorial A.M.E. Church, Washington, D.C.
March 27-30, 1953
Event 81
National Negro Opera Foundation opera meet, National Council House of Negro Women, Washington, D.C.
April 20, 1953
Event 82
Court of Famous Characters: Parade of Kings and Queens, excerpts from the great operas, and biblical scenes from The Ordering of Moses, Metropolitan Baptist Church, Washington, D.C.
July 25, 1953
Event 83
Seventh Annual Gala Music Festival, Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.
February 18, 1953
Event 84
National Negro Opera Foundation provided music for the Tuesday Evening Club of Social Workers, Inc. in celebration of Negro History Week, Dunbar Hotel, Washington, D.C.
March 14, 1954
Event 85
Pittsburgh Opera Guild presented Pre-opera benefit, with Ben Mitchell Morris, tenor, Mass Ballet ensemble, and fashion display of the National Negro Opera Company’s European costumes, Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall, Pittsburgh, Pa.
March 24, 1954
Event 86
Ben Morris, in concert, Metropolitian A.M.E. Church, Washington, D.C.
August 4, 1954
Event 87
National Negro Opera Foundation, honoring the National Association of Colored Women, sponsored Eighth Annual Gala Music Festival, Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.
October 9, 1954
Event 88
Aida, Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, Pa.
December 3, 1954
Event 89
Pittsburgh Opera Guild Benefit, Follies of 1954, Schenley High School, Pittsburgh, Pa.
January 16, 1955
Event 90
Chicago Negro Opera Guild presented scenes from Carmen, Aida, Faust and La Traviata, Wendell Phillips High School, Chicago.
May 28, 1955
Event 91
National Negro Opera Foundation sponsored First Annual Benefit Banquet Ball, Hotel New Yorker, New York.
August 27, 1955
Event 92
Court of Famous Characters, Ninth Annual Music Festival, Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.
September 12, 1955
Event 93
New York Guild of National Negro Opera Foundation presented first concert of a new series: “Series of Concerts of Thrilling Voices,” Salem Methodist Church, Social Hall, New York.
October 30, 1955
Event 94
Mass meeting, National Negro Opera Foundation presented its Cleveland Opera Guild, Cory Methodist Church.
May 27, 1956
Event 95
National Negro Opera Foundation, in cooperation with the New York Opera Guild presented Ouanga, Haitian opera, in English, Metropolitan Opera House, New York.
September 27-30, 1956
Event 96
National Negro Opera Foundation, in cooperation with the New York Opera Guild presented Ouanga, Haitian opera, in English, Carnegie Hall, New York.
November 4, 1956
Event 97
The Chicago Opera Guild honored Mme. Mary Cardwell Dawson, Chicago.
December 7, 1956
Event 98
National Negro Opera Foundation presented Evelyn Greene, in concert, Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, Washington, D.C.
December 16, 1956
Event 99
The Ordering of Moses, Union Congregational Church, New York.
January 10, 1957
Event 100
The Ordering of Moses, Parent-Teacher Association of Abyssinian Baptist Church of New York City.
February 10, 1957
Event 101
First annual historical & musical tea, dedicated to celebrated Negro composers, National Federation of Colored Women’s Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
April 17, 1957
Event 102
The Ordering of Moses, Faith Temple Church of God in Christ, Main Auditorium, New York.
April 21, 1957
Event 103
Spring Operama and Easter Parade, Bethel A.M.E. Church, Chicago.
May 5, 1957
Event 104
The Ordering of Moses, Hillhouse High School, New Haven, Conn.
May 26, 1957
Event 105
New York Opera Guild presented A Sunday Night Musical, Theresa Hotel, Skyline Room, New York.
June 16, 1957
Event 106
Chicago Opera Guild sponsored Evelyn Greene concert, Olivet Baptist Church, Chicago.
August 24, 1957
Event 107
Washington Opera Guild Benefit “An Evening on the Lawn,” 1256 Kearny Street, N.E., Washington, D.C.
September 20, 1957
Event 108
Georgia Club of the Metropolitan Baptist Church sponsored The Ordering of Moses, Metropolitan Baptist Church, Washington, D.C.
November 22, 1957
Event 109
The Ordering of Moses, Lawson Religious and Civic Center, New York.
February 16, 1958
Event 110
The Ordering of Moses, Convent Avenue Baptist Church, New York.
February 23, 1958
Event 111
A Historical & Musical Tea, in observance of National Brotherhood Week, National Federation of Colored Women’s Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
February 28, 1958
Event 112
Calvary Baptist Church Sunday School sponsored The Ordering of Moses, River Street School Auditorium, Red Bank, New Jersey.
May 23, 1958
Event 113
Bethesda Baptist Church sponsored The Ordering of Moses, Concord Baptist Church, Brooklyn, New York.
July 13, 1958
Event 114
Friends of the New York Opera Guild Committee sponsored The Ordering of Moses, Bedford Avenue YMCA, Brooklyn, New York.
August 26, 1958
Event 115
Grand Lodge Convention Committee of the Elks I.B.O.E. of W. sponsored The Ordering of Moses, Metropolitan Baptist Church, Washington, D.C.
November 1, 1958
Event 116
The Washington D.C. Women’s Committee, Mary Cardwell Dawson, and the National Negro Opera Foundation presented “An Informal Afternoon Gathering,” 1601 R Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
November 20, 1958
Event 117
G. Dewey Robinson Boosters Club sponsored “Fashions Aboard the Luxury Liner,” Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, Washington, D.C.
January 25, 1959
Event 118
Washington Opera Guild sponsored “Fashions Aboard the Luxury Liner,” Casino Royal, Washington, D.C.
June 20, 1959
Event 119
Board of Governors of the National Negro Opera Foundation sponsored “An Opera Luncheon,” Sheraton-Park Hotel, Washington, D.C.
August 30, 1959
Event 120
Chicago Opera Guild presented Grand Opera Interlude, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Leroy Gentry, Chicago.
November 11, 1959
Event 121
Benefit dinner, 2610 3rd Street N.E., Washington, D.C. (private residence).
February 14, 1960
Event 122
National Negro Opera Foundation presented The Ordering of Moses, in cooperation with the Association of Negro Life and History, Lisner Auditorium, Washington, D.C.
September 11, 1960
Event 123
Chicago Negro Opera Guild presented Opera Festival, Dunbar High School Auditorium, Chicago.
November 18, 1960
Event 124
Evelyn Greene, in concert, Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, Washington, D.C. (sponsored by the Metropolitian A.M.E. Church’s Pastor’s Aid and Hospitality Clubs).
December 2, 1960
Event 125
National Negro Opera Foundation and Washington Guild presented 1960 Spectacular Fashions in Couturere Parisienne, Metropolitian A.M.E. Church, Washington, D.C.
February 19, 1961
Event 126
National Negro Opera Foundation and Chicago Opera Guild held reception honoring Mary Cardwell Dawson, and presented Chicago Sustaining Committee, Palmer House, Chicago
April 23, 1961
Event 127
Washington Youth Opera Guild held “Talented Tots to Teens” fashion musicale and dance show, Jewish Community Center, Washington, D.C.
June 3-4, 1961
Event 128
National Negro Opera Foundation, in cooperation New York, Washington, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Chicago Opera Guilds held two-day opera meet, Statler Hotel, Washington, D.C.
July 16, 1961
Event 129
The Ordering of Moses performed at a benefit performance for National Negro Opera Company and Chicago Opera Guild, Dunbar High School Auditorium, Chicago.
March 19, 1962
Event 130
Mary Cardwell Dawson died, Washington, D.C.
May 17, 1962
Event 131
New York Guild Opera Workshop performed The Bohemian Girl, Beulah Wesleyan Auditorium, New York.
October 7, 1962
Event 132
Chicago Negro Opera Guild performed in Opera Festival, Dunbar High School Auditorium
September 19, 1965
Event 133
Chicago Opera Guild performed concertized excerpts from Aida, Faust, Il Travatore and Masked Ball, McCormack Place, Chicago (in memory of Mary Cardwell Dawson).
May 25, 1994
National Negro Opera Company Becomes an Official Historical Marker
Dedication of an official historical marker commemorating the National Negro Opera Company at the site of the old Cardwell School of Music, 7101 Apple Street, Pittsburgh, Pa.
July 27, 1997
Tribute to Madame Mary Cardwell Dawson
Tribute to Madame Mary Cardwell Dawson and the National Negro Opera Company, Carnegie Library of Homestead Music Hall, Pittsburgh, Pa
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