6. The Old Metropolitan Opera House

In the second episode, Dr. Kreizler and John Moore attend a performance at the old Metropolitan Opera House and observe the who’s who of New York City’s elite, pointing out notable figures like banker J.P. Morgan and New York City mayor William Lafayette Strong.

The original Metropolitan Opera House was located just south of Times Square at 39th Street and Broadway. The founders of the Met Opera were many of the newer New York elite, which included the Vanderbilts, the Roosevelts, and J. P. Morgan, who were not allowed membership into the old money venue, The Academy of Music, which was located on 14th Street. The Academy, mentioned in much detail in Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence, was an elite, exclusive concert hall for New York City’s upper crust – the original 400 families. But downtown was becoming less desirable and the city’s new class of industrialists wanted an opera house closer to their new mansions that would be welcoming to them.

But much like The Academy of Music, the new Opera House was a place to be seen, and Roosevelt in The Alienist is nervous about being seen with Dr. Kreizler, whose methods are considered too out of the box.

The actual film location used for the opera house is the Hungarian State Opera House in Budapest. Eventually, the Met Opera would move up to Lincoln Center.

Also check out the Top 15 Secrets of the Metropolitan Opera House and discover Vintage NYC Photography: The Original Metropolitan Opera House and Its Demolition