[3] The Springer has hosted legendary performers such as Edwin Booth, Oscar Wilde, Ethel Barrymore, Agnes de Mille, and bandleader John Philip Sousa.

Under the leadership of King, W. L. Salisbury, W. C. Chipley, L. G. Bowers, Joseph Hanserd, and George P. Swift Sr., the new association quickly raised funds through the selling of stock.

[4] Springer would become the largest shareholder of the Public Hall Association and would further his stake over a period of time by repaying the remaining stockholders until he held full ownership of the new facility.

[8] Construction was delayed for a brief time due to short supply of brick and lumber, but by January 1871 the exterior was substantially complete and work had begun on the interior fresco painting.

The Springer, living up to its reputation as a leading theatre of the time, played host to several of Thomas Edison's new Vitascope films.

[11] The Springer's display of these short films would signal the start of a slow, steady decline of live theatre in the city.

Those trustees began a very aggressive campaign to educate the public about the Springer's significance as a historic structure worth saving.

As the awareness campaign blanketed the city, one of the board's trustees, businessman Robert L. Lewis, provided a $5,000 binder for the purchase of the Springer building.

In addition, the first floor public areas were expanded and the stage house was completely re-equipped with modern rigging, lighting and sound.

Historic interior design was directed by Reneau de Beauchamp (Atlanta) with decorative preservation painting provided by Conrad Schmitt Studios (Milwaukee).

Emily Woodruff Hall, the 700-seat main theatre,[16] hosts the popular Mainstage Series which features some of the nation's newest plays and musicals as well as timeless Broadway-style productions.

[4] The Springer Opera House offers an extensive year-round training program for young actors in what is the largest theatre academy in the southeast.