Not referred to as the Hagenbuch Opera House in Twain References.
Allentown, Pennsylvania’s first major theater opened in 1870 near the corner of 8th and Hamilton Streets. It was known by several names including the Academy of Music and Military Hall. However, most locals referred to it as the Hagenbuch Opera House in reference to the family who built it.
[The Hagenbuch Opera House is] the favorite fashionable resort of this city and valley. It has a frontage of 63 feet and a depth of 90 feet, while the stage is 32 by 60 feet and the height of the auditorium 24 feet.
Fifteen artistic sets of scenery range in the grooves behind one of the finest drop-curtains in Pennsylvania. Containing a seating capacity of 900, it can with fair comfort accommodate an audience of 1500 souls. The gallery besides is spacious and well-appointed. Handsome carpets stretch up the incline from the orchestra to the main entrance.