Tibbits Opera House
14 S. Hanchett Street,
Coldwater,
MI
49036
14 S. Hanchett Street,
Coldwater,
MI
49036
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Here is a recent 2007 photo of Tibbits Opera House.
This website has some photos of Tibbits Opera House/Theater.
A Barton theater organ size 2/3 was installed in the Tibbits Theater in 1926.
The picture of the Tibbits as a movie house that I referenced earlier is now at: http://www.tibbits.org/history.htm
Here is an article from the Battle Creek Enquirer regarding the restoration work being done on the Tibbits' facade.
It’s now used primarily as a community arts center. I lived in the Coldwater area from 1970-85, and it always seemed to be in a perpetual state of being renovated. It’s also known for its summer theater season, (but don’t get me started on what I thought of some of those productions). This website:
http://www.tibbits.org/documents/Tibbits8.pdf
has a picture of it when it was a movie theater during the period of approximately 1930-1954.
The Tibbets Opera House is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide, an annual for roadshow managers. It’s listed as “Tibbet’s Opera House”. The seating capacity is given as 823, and admission prices were 25 cents to 75 cents. John T. Jackson was the Mgr. The house had both gas and electric illumination; the proscenium opening was 30 feet square. The stage was 40 feet deep. The theatre was on the ground floor and there were 7 in the house orchestra. Hotels for showfolk in Coldwater were the Southern Michigan, Arlington, Brunswick and the Ward House. Newspapers were the Times, Republican, Courier, Sun and Star. The local railroad was the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern. The 1892 population of Coldwater was 7,000.