Fayette Arts Council
Fayette Opera House and Fine Arts Council
For the past one hundred years, the Fayette Opera House has
stood near the corner of Main and Fayette Street. Built in 1889-99 during the administration of William
McKinley and during the Spanish American War, the building has played an
important role in the region through the administration of 19 presidents, six
wars, and the Great Depression.
The Opera House was built during the age of horses and
steam. Today it is planning for its
role into the space and information age. When
built, the Fayette Opera House was one of the cultural and educational
institutions that set Fayette apart from other communities throughout the
region. Near the end of the 19th
century, Fayette was a growing community. Located
on the Toledo and Western Rail Road and just south of the Michigan Southern
Railroad, the village offered several amenities that were unavailable in other
communities within the region. The
town boasted an eighth grade school, a thriving business district and
residential community and was home of the Fayette Normal College of Music and
Business that later became Fayette Normal University.
The Opera House was built for approximately $4,000 and
housed (on the first floor) village offices, shops, the jail, and later the fire
department. The upstairs was
dedicated for the use of spectator and community events.
Live touring theater, as well as locally produced events were staged and
the facility later became the community’s first basketball court.
Performers such as the Tennessee Boys’ Choir and Jefferson performed on
its stage and the University used the facility for its Lyceum Courses and
graduation ceremonies. The Opera
House’s use declined after the Second World War and the building was sold for
commercial use. By the late 60’s,
the commercial venture was discontinued and the structure was used as a
warehouse. Located in the heart of
the village and surrounded by empty storefronts, the Opera House was the lone
remaining structure which represented the early growth period of the community
and its’ renovation was considered as pivotal to the renaissance of the
community’s business district. 
In 1978, the Fayette Community Fine Arts Council
spearheaded a drive to acquire the structure and return it to its original
usage. Over the past two decades, a
core of dedicated volunteers have led the effort to renovate the structure as a
community and cultural center. That
effort has been successful. The
stage and seating has been renovated and the group was also instrumental in
overseeing the creation of the Opera House Green on the property to the
immediate west of the building.
The Opera House story is greater than the restoration
itself. The Opera House has become
the home of the Fayette Artist Series, it is also used by Fayette’ Opera House
Players, Archbold Community Theater, the Formerly Normal Playerss, and an all
county theater group. The Opera
House has hosted professionals from the Cincinnati and Cleveland Opera’s, The
Toledo Symphony Orchestra, and performers from Alabama, California, Boston, New
York, etc. The facility is also
used to house the senior citizen’s nutrition site and has hosted numerous
community meetings, private receptions and has even been the site of a wedding.
For some, the Opera House represents a period that has been
relegated to history. However, for
those involved in the restoration of the facility (the promotion of the arts),
the Opera House represents a bridge to the future. It has been and remains the vehicle through which a strong
sense of community can be forged.