Copeland Opera House

The Copeland Opera House was constructed in 1882 by Joseph Copeland, a successful local businessman who later built the Copeland Block just to the east. The contractor was C.C. Denio of Galesburg, IL, but no architect is mentioned.

The NRHP listing for the Water Street Commercial Historic District claims a capacity of 600, but the 1905 Cahn guide lists it as 400. The auditorium featured a frescoed ceiling painted by Stanley and Slaughter.

The first films were shown around 1916, and after the closure of the Gem Theatre, this seems to have been the only theatre in town. For many years operated by F.F. Lee, it was closed in late-1949 due to his death.

After it closed, the upstairs seems to have sat disused, while the ground floor was used into the 1990’s as retail of various kinds, and a bar. More recently, the entire building was vacant and in some disrepair, although the storefronts were returned to their original condition.

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