Horeb began to coalesce at its current location by the railroad, becoming a center for collecting and processing milk from the surrounding country.

The company bought the lot at Main and Second Streets and hired architects J.C. Gordon and Fred W. Paunack of Madison to design the building.

Queen Anne style is evident in the corner tower, the dormers that break up the roofline, and the varied textures of the brickwork.

The building originally had commercial space at street level, divided into four stores with plate glass show windows in cast iron frames.

Other events that have taken place there include high school graduation ceremonies, basketball games and speeches by the Woman's Christian Temperance Union.

In 1917, when the local high school was destroyed in a fire, classes were held at the Mt.

[2] The opera house closed in 1922, perhaps due to competition from other venues like the new high school, Luder's recreation building, and Bakken and Peterson's dance hall and theater.