Thalian Hall (1855-58), Wilmington. The dramatic productions of the Thalian Association in Wilmington compared favorably with the "professional legitimate drama" that flourished in Richmond, Charleston, and New Orleans. Founded in 1788, the association's annual repertoire ranged from Shakespearean tragedy to contemporary comedy. So popular were the Thalians that Wilmington's city fathers prevailed on the state legislature to authorize $50,000 in municipal bonds to build a combined city hall and theater. The magnificent neoclassical structure (1855-58) was designed by New York architect John M. Trimble and executed by the finest local craftsmen, both slave and free.

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