We are a group of concerned citizens willing to put in our time and effort into improving downtown Watseka. The project that has brought us together is to save the Stephens Bro's Opera House. We want to preserve a unique architectural gem for Watseka. We’re willing to do this as a nonprofit — open and transparent — because none of us are looking to make money off of this effort. We’re doing this because we believe that this project is important to revitalizing downtown Watseka.'

For upwards of a century, the Stephens Bro's Opera House was a centerpiece of downtown Watseka and a focal point of life in this small town. We believe that by restoring this building, we can help revitalize downtown Watseka and preserve a piece of its history for future generations. Studies have shown that downtown's that restore their downtown historic buildings are more likely the thrive. They are more likely to attract investment, capital and new business. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, approximately 7,500 vehicles pass through downtown Watseka every day. The current state of the opera house does not impress anyone who passes through town. A restored Stephens Bro's Opera House would impress, attract, and grow investment in our town multiples over what it will cost to restore it.

Yes. Many members of our core group have already donated to this project and will continue to do so.

No one in our group will ever profit from this project. Indeed, we will be putting in countless hours of our uncompensated effort into saving this building, because we care what happens to it and believe that it is an important part of Watseka’s history and can be an important part of downtown Watseka’s future.

We won’t profit, but who will? Many, many others. Just to name a few… The contractors who will work on restoring the building. The singers, actors, and others who’ll perform at events there. The caterers and waiters who’ll serve food at weddings and celebrations. Area schools, businesses, and community organizations who’ll host events and meetings there. Families who will rent the space for weddings and reunions. Future generations who will experience their history through the preservation of this building. The thousands of people who are the audiences of all of the types of events listed above. The local businesses that will sell products and provide services to visitors to Watseka that events at the opera house attract. The City of Watseka that will collect sales tax from ticket sales and from visitors’ purchases while in town. The whole point of the project is for the community to profit from it. That’s what makes it worth doing.

We envision the Stephens Bro's Opera House as a multiuse space open to the community. We envision taking place there musical and theatrical events, catering, weddings, receptions, celebrations, sporting events, competitions, pop-up shops, quinceaneras, indoor farmers’ markets, business meetings, and family reunions. We want the public’s input on how the Stephens Bro's Opera House should be used. If you have an idea on how the building should be used, please reach out to us to let us know. We’ll take it into account in planning and construction. Reach out to us to let us know at watsekacommunityrenewal@gmail.com

Yes. In a letter from Landmarks Illinois to the Mayor a structural assessment of the Opera House confirmed that the building is structurally sound. As of January 2024, engineering and architectural studies of the building have concluded that the building is structurally sound.

One of the people involved with our group is the owner of Roff Home in Watseka. When he purchased the home 19 years ago, it was in about the same shape as this building. Over time, he was able to repair damage and restore the home. It is possible to reverse decades of neglect and damage. It just takes a will to get it done and creative thinking to get it done economically. In 2020, Roff Home won Landmarks Illinois's Restoration Award in recognition of the effort to restore the home. We've done great work here in this community to save a historic building. We can do it again with the Stephens Bro's Opera House. We have examples of other opera houses that have been restored and saved, starting from a similar condition. The Delphi Opera House is a great example. The Delphi Preservation Society took on the challenge of restoring the building. Today it is a focal point and vibrant entertainment venue that attracts visitors and tourists from across the Midwest. “I think every town square in the country should have a building that represents the history of the square as a symbol of progress, growth and relevance.” – Rabbi Rob Thomas, Strawn Opera House

No one likes having a bad neighbor. Right now it appears that the opera house is being a bad neighbor to the building next door. Action should be taken to stop damage from happening. If we get the chance to own the building, we would be committed to be a good neighbor to everyone and everything around it.

Restoring this building will require a major effort, and our group is committed to that effort. We expect to have to raise upwards of a million dollars to complete this project, beyond any initial contribution from the city. We were awarded our 501(c)(3) in December, 2024. We are currently under sponsorship by the Community Foundation of Kankakee River Valley nonprofit. In fall 2024, we began fundraising efforts. We anticipate that we will find important funding sources through the State of Illinois, the federal government, national corporations and foundations that give grants to rural projects, donors who are interested in historical restoration and community development, and former and current Watseka residents who want to give back. Overall, we believe this project will attract money to our community. Even though the building is currently structurally sound, every time it rains or snows, water damage continues. Action should be taken to stop the damage that is happening to the building that the City owns. We have asked the city to stabilize the building by replacing the roof and addressing issues with supporting beams as a condition of taking possession. We believe this building can again be a centerpiece of Watseka’s downtown and that this effort is worth it. But it’s a group effort, and we can’t do it alone. We need the support of the residents of Watseka and beyond to get it done. We’re asking the city to take care of the immediate need of getting a new roof on the building, while we get set up as a nonprofit and get our fundraising underway. We’re asking citizens who want to see the building saved to help our effort by speaking up and letting people know that there are things in life worth saving, and the Stephens Bro's Opera House is one of them.

No. We are only asking the City of Watseka to cover the cost of replacing the roof and repairing beams. We will raise funds for the remainder of this project.

Longer term, the process of renovating the building and then putting it to use will ultimately bring money to the Watseka community and more broadly to Iroquois County. We expect to raise significant portions of the restoration budget from sources external to Watseka and Iroquois County. Much of this funding would flow to local contractors to restore the building. Once the building is restored, we would expect it to serve as an attractive venue to host large and small events, theatrical and musical events, weddings and other celebrations, and more. All of these would attract visitors and tourists to the Watseka area, who would provide an ongoing influx of revenue for products and services purchased while in town. The alternative of tearing down the building would produce another grass lot in the middle of downtown Watseka. This grass lot would need to be maintained by the city, costing taxpayer dollars. This outcome would provide no value to Watseka, attract no visitors or tourists, and lead to no influx of spending from outside of Watseka.

As a very rough estimate, we anticipate that renovating and restoring the building will cost several hundred thousand to a million dollars. This final cost will depend on what the community may advise as a valuable use for this building. Once the building’s uses are defined, then the building’s interior can be designed and architects and contractors can provide estimates.

We will raise the several hundred thousand more to complete the building from: state, federal, and private foundations private donors corporate donors fundraising events, and revenue generating activities. In the end, the City of Watseka and Watseka’s taxpayers will have contributed a limited percentage of the total budget for this project.

Yes. We plan to use qualified local contractors for rehab and restoration work. We expect the building to bring employment and jobs to the area as well through the events and activities that we hold there.

After initial rehab and restoration work, the building would become revenue generating and self-supporting. Any events would be self-supporting through ticket sales, just like any business pays its bills through sales. Our organization, Watseka Community Renewal, would continue raising funds for new projects to support the revitalization of downtown Watseka and the entire community.

There are other towns not too far away, Paxton for example, that have done wonders with their downtowns. Watseka is perhaps a bit late getting organized, but better late than never! The Delphi Opera House and the Delphi Preservation Society are other excellent examples.

You can donate to our cause through the Community Foundation of Kankakee River Valley. You can also follow our page, share our posts and help spread the word that a group of private citizens is willing to step forward to save Stephens Bro's Opera House