Originally inaugurated as the Philadelphia Opera House in 1908 with 3,482 seats, designed by local architect William H. McElfatrick, who designed over forty theatres in his career, for opera impresario Oscar Hammerstein as his ninth opera house. In 1910, it was sold to the Metropolitan Opera of New York City and renamed the Met. Through the 1920s, it showed silent films in addition to hosting various opera companies.

In the late 1930s it became a ballroom, and in the 1940s a sports arena for basketball, wrestling and boxing events. It finally closed in 1954 and was turned into a church. It kept hosting the Philadelphia Orchestra for recordings. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. In the late 1990s, church membership decreased and the building was vacated. In 1995, filmmaker Terry Gilliam shot a scene in the decaying auditorium for his movie 12 Monkeys. The building was threatened by demolition when it was purchased by Rev. Mark Hatcher in 1996. The ground floor was used for the Holy Ghost Headquarters Revival Center. The church and the developer came to an agreement on the $45-million renovation for a live music venue that was inaugurated in 2018.

It reopened on December 3, 2018 with a concert by Bob Dylan.


Editions available:

95 x 120 cm, edition of 9 plus 2APs
AP 1/2 available

150 x 190 cm, edition of 6 plus 2 APs
#3/6 available