Thursday, June 23, 2022

The Huber Opera House

 

Pictured: The Huber Opera House, later renamed to Bunker Hill Opera House by William Fahrenkrog.

    Read our earlier blog about The Old Huber Opera House at https://bunkerhillhistory.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-old-huber-opera-house.html

    In 1882, Anton Huber erected a two-story brick business with a basement and hall, this later was known as the Huber Opera House.  The building is located on the southeast corner of Washington and Warren Streets and is 81 feet by 71 feet.  The first floor is occupied by a grocery store 32 by 48 feet facing north, and the remainder of the store 48 by 48 feet is occupied by a dry goods store, and also a clothing, boot, shoe, hat, and cap store.  Behind this is a large warehouse room 20 by 50 feet.

    Anton Huber was born in Baden Germany in 1826.  At the age of 28, he started for America.  He reached New Orleans, LA in 1854.  He stayed in New Orleans for three months to secure enough money to take him up to St. Louis, MO.  In 1865, he sold his grocery store in St. Louis and came to Prairietown and bought the stock of Conrad Cramer, a general merchant of that place.  He was very successful and when his financial resources were increased, he came to Bunker Hill where he invested his capital.

Pictured: Huber Opera House Advertisement

    As early as 1891, the Bunker Hill graduation exercises were held in the Huber Opera House and continued on through the 1930's.

    In 1921, William Fahrenkrog bought the Huber Opera House and renamed it the Bunker Hill Opera House.  It was remodeled and used as a movie theater, being called the Lincoln Theater.  

Pictured:  Lincoln Theater Movie Announcements


    Upstairs was a gymnasium which was called Lincoln Hall.  Helen (Fahrenkrog) Teakert played the piano for the Lincoln Theater.  Other business in the Opera House were a drug store, pool hall, barber shop, and jewelry store.

    The 1948 tornado blew the second story off.  Later, this building was occupied by the Behrens Drug store.

Pictured: The Huber Opera House Building (Behren's Drug Store) 1948 tornado damage


Pictured: The Huber Opera House Building (Behren's Drug Store) after the 1948 tornado


...Read more about this and other Bunker Hill, IL historical stories at https://bunkerhillhistory.org/

--Cite this story: The Bunker Hill IL Historical Society. "A Look Back in Bunker Hill History." Bunker Hill Gazette-News, June 23, 2022.

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