Motz Opera House

This opera house was built in 1881 by or for J.E. Motz. It is a large two story brick building, square in plan, with a slightly elevated roof.

The auditorium was located on the second floor, with retail below. It’s unclear when exactly the first movies were shown, but it was listed in the 1914-15 American Motion Picture Directory. The theater was likely put out of business at some point by a large ground floor house (the McLuen Theatre) across the street, or possibly by modern fire codes.

No maps past 1916 are available online, and the 1916 map shows a hall with stage and scenery on the second, but makes no mention of movies. The ground floor had an ugly postwar remodel, and was used by an appliance store for many years. By 2018 it had been restored to its historic appearance, although it now appears to be vacant. The upper story appears rather shabby and disused.

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