The Alexis Opera House is a historic theater building located at 101–105 N. Main St. in

Alexis Alexis may refer to: People Mononym * Alexis (poet) ( – ), a Greek comic poet * Alexis (sculptor), an ancient Greek artist who lived around the 3rd or 4th century BC * Alexis (singer) (born 1968), German pop singer * Alexis (comics) (1946– ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. The building, which operated from 1889 until 1920, hosted traveling entertainment and community functions. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on July 30, 1987.

History

The opera house was constructed in 1889 by William S. Weir, a

Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...

businessman who also owned the Bank of Alexis. It hosted its first show on November 1 of the same year, when the May Bretonne Company performed there. The opera house hosted traveling theatrical acts, musicians, and lecturers and advertised itself as hosting an act every three weeks. In addition, a number of civic functions were held in the building; Alexis High School held its graduation ceremony in the opera house every year until the building's closure, and numerous public meetings and community performances took place there as well. In the 1910s, religious services were also held in the building. In 1920, the state's

fire marshal A fire marshal, in the United States and Canada, is often a member of a state, provincial or territorial government, but may be part of a building department or a separate department altogether. Fire marshals' duties vary but usually include ...

shut down the opera house over safety code violations, as the building had no fire escape and its seats were not attached to the floor. The building's owner, William A. McKnight, considered the changes too expensive to be worth undertaking and never reopened the opera house. McKnight continued to run a funeral parlor and hardware store in the building's commercial spaces through 1950.

Architecture

The Alexis Opera House was designed in the

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...

style. The two-story building's plan features three storefronts on its first floor and the theater on its second. The front facade is divided into bays delineating the three storefronts; the storefronts feature recessed glass entrances supported by columns, while the second floor is constructed of brick. Brick

pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...

s which extend through the roofline separate the second-story bays. Each bay features three vertical sets of windows, with one wide set in the middle of each bay and narrower sets on its sides. Limestone

coursing Coursing by humans is the pursuit of game or other animals by dogs—chiefly greyhounds and other sighthounds—catching their prey by speed, running by sight, but not by scent. Coursing was a common hunting technique, practised by the nobility, ...

marks the top and bottom of the second-story windows and separates the

clerestory A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, a ''clerestory' ...

windows from the rest. The

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/brea ...

roof features ornamental brickwork.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Romanesque Revival architecture in Illinois Theatres completed in 1889 Buildings and structures in Warren County, Illinois National Register of Historic Places in Warren County, Illinois Opera houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois