Oscar Wilde stood on its stage. So did Edwin Booth, the brother of Lincoln's assassin, and Ethel Barrymore, and John Philip Sousa with his brass thundering through the Georgia night. The Springer Opera House in Columbus opened on February 21, 1871, a gift from a French grocer who dreamed of bringing European culture to the cotton-trading town on the Chattahoochee River. A hundred years later, Governor Jimmy Carter named it the State Theatre of Georgia. What happened between those bookends -- the opening night benefit concert and the governor's proclamation -- is a story of ambition, decay, near-death, and resurrection that mirrors the American South itself.
Francois Joseph Springer arrived in Columbus from Marlenheim, in France's Alsace region, and built a fortune in the grocery business. But groceries were livelihood, not passion. Springer loved theatre, music, and dance, and dreamed of a European-style opera house rising from the red clay of Georgia. By May 1870, he was making it happen. Construction moved fast -- the Columbus Enquirer predicted a November completion by August -- though not without cost. Worker John Prince died from a head wound when scaffolding collapsed inside the half-finished hall. Brick and lumber shortages caused brief delays, but by January 1871 the exterior stood complete and painters were applying interior frescoes. Springer announced his opera house would open February 21, its first event a benefit concert for nearby Trinity Episcopal Church. The groceries had paid for something that would outlive them all.
In 1900, the Springer underwent a transformation that elevated it from regional venue to architectural statement. Theatre designer J. B. McElfatrick, who drew on his own work at the Empire Theatre on Broadway in New York, completely redesigned the space. The building expanded eastward to accommodate a taller main stage. A second balcony rose above the first. Hotel rooms, restaurants, and office space filled out the structure, giving the Springer a revenue stream beyond ticket sales. For a brief, shining period, Columbus possessed a theatre that could stand alongside venues in cities ten times its size. Then came Thomas Edison's Vitascope films. By 1915, motion pictures shared the schedule with live performance. By 1931, under new owner Martin Theatres, the Springer operated almost exclusively as a movie house. The trend was national, but in Columbus it felt personal -- Springer's dream of live performance slowly flickering out, frame by projected frame.
By 1958, Columbus's downtown had hollowed out, and the Springer sat empty. Five years of vacancy followed. City planners eyed the building's prime location on the town square as a parking lot for a planned Government Center. The wrecking ball was essentially scheduled. What saved the Springer was not wealth or political power but the Columbus Little Theatre -- a group of amateur actors and theatre lovers who formed a board of trustees and launched an aggressive campaign to educate the public about the building's historical significance. Trustee Robert L. Lewis put down a $5,000 binder to purchase the building outright. By summer 1964, with the deed secured and enough donations to begin work, volunteers attacked the leaking roof, restored the ground-floor lobby, and brought the hall up to code. On September 23, 1965, the Springer reopened with a production of St. Elmo, based on the novel by Columbus native Augusta Jane Evans. That bare-bones renovation proved to be a watershed -- the spark that ignited a historic preservation movement across the entire city center.
The 1964 work kept the Springer alive, but much of the building remained in ruins for decades. In 1998, a $12 million foundation-to-roof renovation completed what the amateurs had started. The project reclaimed the entire second and third floors, expanded the first-floor public areas, and re-equipped the stage house with modern rigging, lighting, and sound. Lavish Bradbury and Bradbury historic wallpapers were applied. Decorative paintings around the tall proscenium arch were restored, and previously unknown painted designs discovered on the undersides of both balconies. Four classrooms and rehearsal studios were built, along with Foley Hall, a large multipurpose community room. The restoration enabled the Springer to dramatically expand its programs.
Today, the Springer Opera House runs year-round on two stages. Emily Woodruff Hall, the 700-seat main theatre, hosts the Mainstage Series with popular plays, musicals, and recent Broadway releases. The McClure Theatre offers more intimate Studio Series productions and children's shows. The Dorothy W. McClure Springer Theatre Academy is the largest theatre training program in the southeastern United States, enrolling over 1,000 students per year with classes during the school year and an eight-week summer program. The education department brings more than 15,000 children from Georgia and Alabama school districts through the Springer's doors each year. What began as a French immigrant's improbable dream -- opera in a cotton town -- endures as a living institution, its stage still lit, its seats still filled, its story still unfolding.
Located at 32.47°N, 84.99°W in downtown Columbus, Georgia, on the Chattahoochee River at the Alabama border. The Springer Opera House sits at 103 Tenth Street on the town square. From altitude, Columbus is identifiable by the Chattahoochee River running north-south with Fort Benning (now Fort Moore) to the south. The nearest airport is Columbus Metropolitan Airport (KCSG), approximately 5 miles northeast. Approach from the east for best views of the historic downtown district along the riverfront. The building itself is not individually distinguishable from altitude, but the downtown grid and river confluence are clear landmarks.