The Garcia Opera House

The widow the panel leaves unnamed was Francisca G. Garcia, from a family long tied to Socorro's history, and the National Register dates the building to 1886. She hoped traveling opera companies would come; there is no record that any did, though the hall held plays, masked balls and dances for half a century. In 1902 she sold it with the family property to Abran Abeyta, whose name it briefly carried, and the old name returned after Holm O. Bursum bought it. The panel's National Historic Site is a National Register listing, made on August 13, 1974.

What the plaque says

The Garcia Opera House Using the gold he had left her, the widow of Juan Nepomuceno Garcia began construc- tion of the Garcia Opera House in 1884. It was completed three years later in 1887. It served as the main center for cultural and community events including theatrical pro- ductions, balls, marriages etc. The curved shape of the massive 34-inch walls strength- ened the building and improved acoustics. The "rake" stage is one of very few still in existence in the U.S. Restoration began in 1983 and was completed in 1985 by Holm Bursum, Jr. The Garcia Opera House is a National Historic Site.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge — 17 mi
  A Rio Grande refuge south of Socorro where cranes and geese winter by the tens of thousands on wetlands and fields kept by people, because the river no longer floods to make them.

More markers nearby

• Jumbo — steps away
• Socorro — steps away
• New Mexico Tech — 0.9 mi
• New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources Museum — 1.1 mi