Editing Metropolitan Opera House (section)

== Religious Use ==

The Metropolitan Opera House served as a church for various congregations from the 1950s through 2017, beginning with the Holy Ghost Headquarters Revival Center and continuing with the Holy Ghost Assemblies of God. Religious use preserved the building when many comparable theaters faced demolition, maintaining the structure through decades when its entertainment function had ceased. The congregation's stewardship, though limited in resources, prevented the deterioration that destroyed other historic theaters. The stained glass ceiling panels and religious imagery added during this period layered additional meaning onto the original theatrical decoration.<ref name="glazer"/>

The transition from theater to church reflected both the building's economic challenges and North Broad Street's demographic changes. As the neighborhood's population shifted and entertainment patterns evolved, the Metropolitan could no longer attract audiences sufficient to sustain theatrical operation. Religious use provided an alternative that maintained the building's assembly function while adapting to changed community needs. The church's presence preserved the Metropolitan until conditions enabled its restoration to entertainment use.<ref name="gallery"/>