Perryville in Perry County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Phillip's Opera House
Photographed by Thomas Smith, July 12, 2025
1. Phillip's Opera House Marker
Inscription.
Phillip's Opera House. . Plans to construct this building at the Northeast corner of Ste. Marie and Main Street were announced in The Perry County Sun newspaper on February 25, 1897, "Mr. T.L. Phillips this week let the contract for building a $6,000 opera house on his property on the northeast corner of the public square. The building is to be 40 x 65, with three business rooms below, one of which will be occupied by the Bank of Perryville, and the other two will be for rent for business purposes. The opera house will have a high ceiling and be provided with a fine stage, and good seats. It will be sufficiently large to seat comfortably 400 people. Work will commence on the building in a few days and will be pushed to completion as soon as possible. The structure is to be as near fire-proof as can be made. Chas A. Kiefner is the contractor, which is a guarantee that the work on it will be first class. By September. of 1897, the Opera House opened with a gala that lasted well past two o'clock in the morning. After only six seasons, in August of 1903, the building was converted to the Rozier's Mercantile Store and has been in business here under management of the Rozier and Lottes families for 120 years.
Plans to construct this building at the Northeast corner of Ste.
Marie and Main Street were announced in The Perry County
Sun newspaper on February 25, 1897, "Mr. T.L. Phillips this
week let the contract for building a $6,000 opera house on his
property on the northeast corner of the public square. The building
is to be 40 x 65, with three business rooms below, one of which
will be occupied by the Bank of Perryville, and the other two will
be for rent for business purposes. The opera house will have a
high ceiling and be provided with a fine stage, and good seats.
It will be sufficiently large to seat comfortably 400 people. Work
will commence on the building in a few days and will be pushed to
completion as soon as possible. The structure is to be as near
fire-proof as can be made. Chas A. Kiefner is the contractor, which
is a guarantee that the work on it will be first class. By September.
of 1897, the Opera House opened with a gala that lasted well past
two o'clock in the morning. After only six seasons, in August of 1903,
the building was converted to the Rozier's Mercantile Store and has
been in business
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here under management of the Rozier and Lottes
families for 120 years.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1897.
Location. 37° 43.556′ N, 89° 51.74′ W. Marker is in Perryville, Missouri, in Perry County. It is on N. Main Street close to E. Sainte Marie Street, on the left when traveling south. Rozier 's Fabric Dept Store. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2 E Sainte Marie Street, Perryville MO 63775, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Missouri. It is also in the American Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 22, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 13, 2025, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. This page has been viewed 78 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 13, 2025, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
