The Bardavon 1869 Opera House, Inc. (the Bardavon), a nonprofit corporation that owns and operates a 944-seat historic theater in Poughkeepsie and the region’s premiere orchestra, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. The Bardavon has a long history, and has often been a place for important local and national civic and community events. From political rallies to school graduations to lectures from Mark Twain and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, there is always something exciting going on. Today the Bardavon, a true Poughkeepsie landmark, holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating theater in New York State, and one of the oldest in the entire country.