"The Hodge Opera House was erected by the late John Hodge. His Merchant's Gargling Oil was the biggest and most prosperous business in the city. Construction of the building began in 1871 with the arrival of 55 tons of Ohio sandstone by canal.

As was the custom in those days, the Opera House was on the top, or the third floor. On the floors below were some 50 offices and places of business. The building was steam heated and lighted by gas.

The theater portion of the building was constructed to seat approximately 2000 people. It included a ramp so live animals could be brought on stage for circuses and other events.

The structure was very decorative. On it's dome, 38 feet in height were found frescoes of the nine muses and portrait's of Washington, Jefferson, Hunt, Lincoln, Garfield, Irving, and Morse. A vivid scene of the Grand Canal, in Venice, was on the curtain. The first opera house had a tower on the corner of Main and Market Street's designed for a public clock, but it was never installed.

A presentation of Hamlet by the leading tragedian of his day, Edwin Adams, opened the theater in 1872, to a full audience. The admission prices for this attraction were high for those days. Tickets for the lower part of the house were two dollars, the gallery was a dollar, and the boxes were fifteen dollars. Every seat was taken.

Lockport residents were treated to a wide variety of entertainment, From play's like Julius Caesar to lectures by Horace Greeley, Oliver Vendali Holmes and Clara Barton to name a few.

A fire destroyed the original Hodge Opera House on January 5, 1881. It is believed that a carelessly thrown cigar butt started the fire. It was discovered about 8 PM in a cafe operated by Henry Levi in the basement of the opera house.

The fire department was called and extinguished the blaze, which had spread along the floor and up one wall before it was noticed. Burning embers in the wall, however, were overlooked. The flames crept up the partition to the first floor where a new fire broke out about 5 AM the next morning. The firemen were then called back to extinguish the fire which had gained considerable headway. The blaze destroyed many valuable records of City proceedings and births before 1881.

John Hodge immediately began the erection of the second opera house, which was opened in 1882. The rebuilt opera house hosted a memorial service for President William McKinley, who was assassinated in Buffalo in 1901. It continued to run entertainment until 1914 when the theater was ripped out. The whole building was then used for offices. This was due to the rise of motion pictures, which made the legitimate theater no longer profitable in small cities such as Lockport.

Next door to the opera house stood the Merchants Gargling Oil Company. Shortly after 1 PM on February 25, 1928 a fire broke out in the basement of the Merchants building where the flammable "Gargling Oil" was stored. The fire quickly spread throughout the building and over to the top floors of the Hodge Building. Firefighters fought the blaze in zero degree weather with a strong wind for the better part of 24 hours. Although they were able to contain the fire, they were unable to save one of Lockport's most prized landmarks. No serious casualties were suffered in the blaze.

Damages were estimated at $100,000 to Merchants Gargling Oil and $250,000 to the Hodge Opera House. Firemen poured over 11,000 gallons of water on the fire.

Rumor had it before the fire, that Buffalo theater interests were thinking of buying the Hodge Building to convert it back to a theater for motion pictures. Even in its death the building offered a spectacular sight with its ice-encrusted hull and eerie beauty. An era in Lockport's history was over."
- (End of Mr. Hicks' report) -

History Restarts

In 1929, building on the foundation of the Hodge Opera House, the Bewley Building came to life in downtown Lockport. The present rear and west walls were added onto the pre-existing foundation with yellow brick. The building, when viewed from the rear or parking ramp, shows the original stone walls and chimney of the Hodge Opera House. The addition of the yellow brick extension results in a five story building larger than the original four story height of the pre-existing Hodge Building.

The existing "free standing" fire resistant structure was built as a result of the two fires that had previously raged two structures previously built on the site. The current building has a full basement and walk area under the front sidewalks. In the early years, the building was heated by steam supplied by the city of Lockport, later a boiler system was incorporated in the basement. Originally fired with coal that was delivered via the front sidewalk elevator, the boilers can now be fueled by either gas or oil.

The elevators in the building were originally operated by George Dunhamand and Albert Grange. In 1955 a new self-operating elevator was installed. The first of it's kind on the Niagara Frontier! The new elevator came with operating instructions that were posted inside and out. The original freight elevator remained intact until 1972 when it was replaced by a self-operating model. The Building then boasted two self working models for the convenience of its tenants.

Back to the Past

In 2003, the building received a facelift of new marble, awnings, windows and more. These, along with other revitalizations have restored the look of the building to that of the 1920's when it first opened as an office building. The building remains one of the most desirable and prestigious office locations in historic downtown Lockport.