1906 Bell Opera House

E.J. Holt has purchased the Bell opera house block of Mr. Sleeper. W.H. Peek will continue to act as manager of the opera house.

The Bell opera house continues to be a fascination for me as well as others interested in the history of Fowlerville. Anyone reading this website will know the Bell opera house was located above what is now Olden Days and the north half of Maria's School of Dance. If you look up to the second floor of those two storefronts, the first seven windows starting at the north edge southward encompasses what used to be the Bell opera house.

There were two stairways up to the second floor. Just to the north of Olden Days there is a wooden door that, when opened, leads upstairs. The other staircase is no longer accessible, which was located at the south side of the opera house. Part of that staircase still exists on the second floor but it is blocked off and the rest of the staircase, at ground level, was removed in the early 1950s when Curtis Groceries expanded in that location.

The history is long and varied for this meeting room, but finding the above blurb that was published in the local paper adds another piece to that puzzle. If you are interested in reading more about the opera house, you can search for more on this website (search box in the upper left hand corner) or meet me at the historical collection every first or third Tuesday at 9:00 in the Council Chambers and we can check out Richard Hutchins' research on this opera house.