LEST YOU FORGET
WE ARE HERE YET
AND CAN DO YOUR
PAINTING
PAPERHANGING
AND
DECORATING
ON SHORT NOTICE
BONNER & BUREN

Sign seen in this old postcard of the Miles City Opera House. This photo was sent to me by Gary Coffrin. Gary said the postcard was mailed in 1906.

It has been said elsewhere on the forums that the Opera House was located at Sixth Street and Pleasant about where the W.A. Mitchell Agency is located today. It was said that the bricks used on the facade of the W.A. Mitchell Agency were taken from the Opera House.

Questions:

1. Did the Opera House face Sixth Street or Pleasant Street?
2. When did the Opera House open, when did it close, and when was the building demolished?
3. There appears to be a taller brick building behind the Opera House seen in the upper right corner of the photo. What building is that?
4. Montana Cadastral says the W.A. Mitchell Agency building was built in 1974. What was at the site of the W.A. Mitchell Agency prior to that? How did they obtain bricks from the Opera House for use in their facade?

Some other post card pictures that show the Opera House or its location. It appears to me that the Opera House faced Sixth Street. It had a large box-like structure on top of the back portion of the building. That is what the "taller brick building behind" is in the photo above. Apparently that area of a theater building is known as the fly tower and grid.

In this post card picture you can see a dark rectangle a little left of center. That is the fly tower and grid on the Opera House building.

This post card that was mailed in 1915 shows a really good view of the Opera House fly tower and grid. Also, the little white house that is on the corner in the center of the picture is where the United States Post Office is today.

This post card which was listed as circa 1930-1945 shows that the Opera House is no longer standing but it appears the foundation remains and there is a brick building still standing at the back of the Opera House lot.

Lastly, here is a generic drawing of a theater showing the fly tower and grid.

Gary Coffrin sent me a link to a really nice post card photo of Miles City's old Opera House Theatre Building. The post card is currently for sale on ebay.

Larger image.

Did you ever get answers to your questions? I know some of them. It faced Sixth.
It was never financially successful. Closed, then burned, then fell over in a high wind, then was ruins until W. A. Mitchell salvaged the bricks.

Those stairs look pretty safe.

In the late-forties I lived in a yellow two story house kitty-corner from the opera house. On the side facing 6th it had caved in to basement. On the backside it was partially still there and it was a motorcycle shop called Krumpies (spelling). I spent time hanging around there looking at the Indians and Harleys and, of course, just across the alley was the back door to Grants Pool Hall.

I think I can see your old house in that aerial view post card up above, Terry.

It's amazing that burned-out, caved-in heap of rubble less than one block off of Main St. sat around for multiple decades, but we are talking about Miles City.

[Ducking...]