[1] In 1891, entrepreneurs Perry Hannah, Charles Wilhelm, Tony Bartok, and Frank Votruba owned the property where the opera house now stands.

[2] They hired architect E. R. Prall of Pontiac, Michigan to design this structure, and builder John Wilhelm to construct it.

In 1920, a local movie house leased the building and shuttered it to eliminate competition.

The City Opera House is a square, three-story, building constructed of red brick.

Since completion of the restoration, the City Opera house has seating for 710 people, arches with trompe-l'œil clouds and a dome ornamented with angelic putti, a two-story oriel window, an acoustic stage shell, modern theatre rigging and complete facilities for catered events.