St. James Opera House Restoration

This Queen Anne style structure, built in 1892 of red brick and trimmed in Kasota Stone, originally housed a bank and grocery store on the main level and featured a grand staircase to the Opera House, which was on the second floor with a mezzanine balcony above. The building also included a large meeting room in the lower level, which was accessible from the street as well as from the bank.

Over time, the grand staircase was removed and the Opera House windows were boarded up. After watching two other historic buildings in St. James be demolished, a group of citizens formed The St. James Opera House Restoration Project, Inc., a nonprofit organization founded in 1995 to raise money for the restoration of the community's historic opera house. Paulsen Architects was hired in 1996 to complete a feasibility analysis and pre-design services as well as prepare a structural facility report for state historic designation.

Today, the building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is still in the renovation process, but there have been many improvements. A brick facade was removed in one area to expose the original stone arches and corner granite columns, a stairway was added to the south for access to the Opera House. Opera House windows have been uncovered and replaced, part of the sidewalk was replaced, a new roof was constructed and there have been many streetscape and interior improvements.  

Most recently, The St. James Opera House Restoration Project was awarded a matching grant by the Minnesota Historical Society to assist in opening and restoring the west entrance that once led to the second floor of the Opera House. Additional renovations are expected as grants and donations are become available. The Preservation Alliance of Minnesota awarded the St. James Opera Hall a 2004 Honor Award for the progress on their renovation efforts.

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