Grand Opera House, Macon

Opened in 1884 as the Academy of Music, with 2,418 seats and what was then the largest stage in the southeastern United States, the Macon house took its seven-storey facade and its present name in 1905. Trap doors cut into that stage for Harry Houdini are still there. A 1969 restoration under the architect Ellamae Ellis League gave the upper balcony over to lighting equipment and brought the count down to about 1,030. Mercer University has run the building on a lease from Bibb County since 1995; touring Broadway, orchestral concerts and a yearly Nutcracker share the season.