Grand Opera House
Grand Opera House
The Grand Opera House, also known as the Linton Opera House, was built in 1905. It was located on the corner of Northeast A and First Streets. In later years, the building was known as the Grand Theater. The structure was torn down in the late 1970s or early 1980s.
The Linton Opera House was a three-story structure, constructed of brick made in Brazil, Indiana. The first level housed the stage, where the traveling troupes performed. The audience watched the shows from comfortable upholstered seats. Although the performers were considered to be of second or third-rate quality, they attracted large crowds.
When Linton High School was located at the corner of First and Southeast A Streets, the school did not have an auditorium. The stage at the Opera House served as an auditorium for the school. The first graduating class of Linton High School held its graduation in this building. At this graduation, there was only one graduate, who at that time went by the name of Miss Jenny Rector. On the night of the graduation, the stage was decorated beautifully with potted plants and the class motto, "Finis Opus Corona," meaning "The End Crowns the World," in yellow letters with blue background--yellow and blue being the class colors then. The music entertainment was furnished by the Dugger orchestra, which at that time was pronounced first-class.
The class of 1917 performed the play "Professor Pepp" at the Grand Opera House. The play was a big success as the opera house was filled to its capacity, with even its standing room being filled. This play was the biggest success of any preceding play given by any other class. When the new high school was completed in 1923, the demand for a stage at The Opera House for school functions disappeared as the school now had its own facilities.
The days of the opera shows were numbered as the troupes were being replaced with a new craze that was sweeping the country in the 1930s--motion pictures. The opera house was converted into a theater, known as the Grand Theater.
The Moose Building housed the Grand Theater on the first floor. The lodge occupied the second floor and leased the third floor ballroom for parlor dances, an every Saturday night affair.
This building was the place of a tragic scene when Tom Butts jumped from the roof of the three-story structure and ended his life.
George Settos, a Chicago theater magnate, bought the new Moose-owned building from which the Scherer Brothers operated the Grand Theater. He proceeded to remodel it for a new innovation of theater marketing known as "bank night." The Scherer Brothers then purchased a one-quarter block of downtown Linton and built the Cine, which opened in December 1938.
Today the Grand Opera House is no longer standing, but a restaurant was built on the property by Bob and Penny Bowersock in 1981. A distinctive feature of the building is the slopes of the roof, which caused some major problems when it was constructed. The restaurant has been owned and operated by several people over the years. In the summer of 1997 the building became the office for Conklin Auto Sales, a used-car dealer.
This information was used with permission from the Linton-Stockton School Corporation.
