Why was the Springer Opera House built?

Answer 1

Five years after the Civil War, Columbus, Ga., like all of the South was in the throes of Reconstruction. Just getting enough to eat was a big concern for many people in Columbus and throughout the South. While many city leaders were talking about building factories and trying to get industry back on its feet to get the economy thriving again, a group of men, including Joseph Springer, saw that Columbus need to do something different, something to put Columbus back on the map. They wanted to build a grand German-style Opera house. The term opera house in the 1800s didn't necessarily mean a place for opera. If your theatre was big enough it could be called an opera house and this was a great marketing term in those days. Opera has very, very rarely been performed at the Springer. When the Springer was completed it was the grandest theatre between New York and New Orleans.