A state-by-state guided tour of America's famous opera houses The American Opera scene has grown with the country, spawning a proliferation of beautiful and enchanting opera houses. This comprehensive state-by-state guide covers both historical and contemporary opera houses dating from 1736 to 1996. Halls like the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, the Academy of Music in Philadelphia and the San Francisco Opera House. Opera expert Karyl Lynn Zietz covers an eclectic array of buildings, from the simple and unassuming to the majestic and pretentious, highlighting those that have been destroyed as well as those meticulously restored. * Includes historical information about the emergence of the American opera * Many of the opera houses featured are National Historic Landmarks or are in the National Register of Historic Places KARYL LYNN ZIETZ (Washington, D.C.) is the American correspondent for the publication of Teatro Alla Scala in Milan, Italy. THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION, with 280,000 members nationwide, is the only organization chartered by Congress to encourage the public participation in the preservation of sites and buildings significant in American history and culture.