"Chamber opera, by definition, is meant to be performed in small spaces. With just 350 seats the jewel-box Harry de Jur is ideal."
- New York Magazine

The Playhouse at the Abrons Arts Center was completed in the 1915 and lovingly restored by the Abrons Arts Center during 1990's. The beauty, acoustic quality, and intimacy of the space inspired the founders of Gotham Chamber Opera (formerly the Henry Street Chamber Opera) to create a new kind of opera company.

"The intimate dimensions of the Playhouse at the Abrons Arts Center on the Lower East Side encourage the kind of searching acting rarely seen in the larger venues."
- Newsday

The Playhouse is a designated national landmark, designed by architects Harry C. Ingalss and F. Burral Hoffman, Jr.. Harry De Jur attended the Settlement as a young boy and later served on its Board.

In addition to the Gotham Chamber Opera, the theater has seen performances by Ethel Barrymore, James Cagney, George Burns, Fred Astaire, Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, Dizzy Gillespie, and Buddy Rich. In 1938, it was the setting for the premiere of Aaron Copland's opera The Second Hurricane, starring Eartha Kitt and directed by Orson Welles.

For a detailed history of the Playhouse and its architecture, click here.