It is one of the oldest opera houses in South America and one of the jewels of Quito's classical architecture. Located in the Historic Center in the square that bears the same name, it is one of the most emblematic buildings of the performing arts in the city.
Its construction began in 1879, by order of President Ignacio de Veintemilla, at the exclusive request of his niece Marieta de Veintemilla who had become the social and cultural center of the city. The Sucre National Theater was designed by the German architect Francisco Schmidt. Its name is in honor of Pichincha's hero, Marshal Sucre.
The Sucre National Theater was inaugurated on November 25, 1886, with the musical presentation of the French pianist Capitán Voyer, accompanied by the National Orchestra, the singers Baldassari and Aymo de la Torre, who performed the National Anthem of Ecuador.
The Sucre National Theater has been intervened countless times to avoid deterioration. It underwent several renovations in which the roof, the floor of the stalls and the main façade were changed, decorated with a relief of "Orpheus and the Nine Muses".