Have you ever heard of a theater in which the performance takes place in one country and the audience sits to listen or watch it in another country? One such opera house is located on the border of America and Canada. Its name is Haskell Free Library and Opera House. This Victorian era building represents an opera house and library. It was deliberately built on the international border, so that cultural harmony could be maintained between the two countries.
The opera house was opened on 7 June 1904.
Half of this building, that is, the seats of the audience gallery of the Opera House, are located on American soil, while the other half of the border includes the library and the stage of the Opera House. You can also call it America’s library without books and opera house without a stage. The opera house was opened on 7 June 1904. After this, the library was started by a wealthy local woman named Martha Haskell, whose purpose was to maintain mutual harmony among the people living around the border area.
Artists and musicians come from all over the world
Entrance to the library, housed in a large multi-storey building built on a Queen-Anne style structure, is from the US side, while the library’s books are stored on the Canadian border. Similarly, the audience gallery of the opera house falls on the US border, while the stage remains within the Canadian border. The platform hosts artists, musicians and lecturers from around the world. The 400-seat theater is recognized not only for its unique venue but also because since its construction in 1904, no changes have been made to it except for the elevator and sprinkler system.
Listed as a National Heritage Site
A black strip has also been made below the main room of the library, so that the boundary can be known. Employees from both America and Canada work in the library built in this building. In such a situation, services are provided here in both English and French languages. Because of its unique features, the Haskell Building is listed as a National Heritage Site in both Canada and the United States. Canadian-Americans entering the building may be crossing the border, but there is no need to pay customs duty here.
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