1884-1930 A Vaudeville Theater

The “Stephens Bros Opera House,” although an opera was never actually performed here, was an expression of community hope and aspirations, “a vague and ill-defined search for something called ‘culture.’”   The building played a leading role in the social, cultural, and recreational life of the Watseka area for almost fifty years before it became a magnet for shopping in downtown Watseka as the J C Penney’s building.

Although no actual opera was probably ever performed in the building, quite a variety of other events were. But first a little more history of the building: Riggs Opera House had existed north of the alley along Third Street since 1875, where the current Elks building is located.  A large fire on Oct. 20, 1883, took seven buildings starting at the Weston and Bull furniture store on Walnut and continuing west to a vacant lot.  The fire also took Stephens Brothers’ Hardware adjoining Weston’s on the east, located on the corner of Third Street with Riggs Opera House to the north. After the fire, the Stephens brothers, Asa and Alva, who had enjoyed a profitable trade in the hardware business, had a vacant lot on the northwest corner of Third and Walnut Streets on which to rebuild.  Since Mr. Riggs was not interested in building a new opera hall, the Stephens brothers thought it would be a good idea to build a large, dual-purpose building with space for two businesses on the ground floor and a theatrical assembly hall, larger than the Riggs Opera Hall had been, on the second floor.  

In January 1884, the brothers acquired title to the west half of Lot 16 from the owner, giving them a full city lot on which to build.  Construction of the Stephens Brothers’ Opera House began in the spring of 1884, with a grand opening on December 18th. News items reported the “spacious hall” with its “magnificent proportions” and “commodious arrangements” would seat 700 people comfortably. The opening was mainly a classical event with the Chatsworth Orchestra playing three operatic overtures. A grand piano was secured from Chicago to accompany several soloists. The Danville Male Quartet performed, there were piano solos and duets, violin solos, etc.  The entire second floor consisted of an auditorium with a stage at the south end, a gallery or balcony at the north end, and a double-wide stairway opening onto Third Street at the northeast corner of the building.

Activities began immediately in the “Opera House:” Roller skating, December 19th, Christmas Ball on the 25th.  January of 1885: Uncle Tom’s Cabin two evenings, the Egbert Comedy Company later the same week put on several dramas. Later in January a two-mile roller skating race took place, with the top prize being a pair of silver-mounted roller skates! Masquerade skating was held at least twice in February.  The year continued with the Mendelssohn Concert Company of Boston, Central Tennessee College Singers, church bazaars, temperance meetings, Children’s Day program with pupils processing from Watseka School to the opera house, high school commencement, benefits, spelling bees, local dramatic club performances, minstrel troupes, dances, a Japanese wedding, church suppers and lectures.

It is impossible to list every bit of entertainment, as something often took place several times a week! Some meetings held there included those of the Farmers’ Institute, Iroquois County Farm Bureau, Gleaners, Iroquois County Breeders and Fair Association, political rallies, teachers’ institutes, GAR reunions, Memorial Day programs.  Although advertised as holding 700, a heated debate in 1896 on the issue of “Free Silver” brought a crowd estimated at 1200-1250, with a thousand more outside clamoring to get in. Some of the more prominent persons who appeared over the years were William Jennings Bryan, Carrie Nation, and, frequently, Blind Boone.

From 1905 to 1917, the hall served as the site of all local Watseka High School basketball games, originally both boys’ and girls’, for there was no gymnasium in the community until an addition to South Side School in 1917 provided a small “cracker box.” Motion pictures were shown there, later calling it the Princess Theater and finally the Crystal Theater. 

In 1888, the building was sold to the Braden brothers: Walter, Robert, Richard, Oscar, John and William.  They operated a mercantile store, Braden Brothers, on the entire ground floor until 1929 when it was leased to the J. C. Penney Company.