John D. Rockefeller Jr. was on the cusp of his teenage years when New York’s “New Money” elites, of which his parents were members, defeated the Astor family-led “Old Money” elites in what was known as the Opera War. The new money millionaires, which included the Rockefellers, Goulds, Morgans, and Vanderbilts, had established the Metropolitan Opera House, ultimately displacing the Academy of Music. Four decades later the Metropolitan Opera Company looked to construct a new opera house. For this, the company established a joint venture with Rockefeller in 1928.
Rockefeller Jr. in 1920. Library of Congress. Public Domain
