Southwest Ohio’s historic opera houses were the subject of a recent story in the Dayton Daily News.

The story features ongoing restoration/renovation projects involving opera houses in Covington (Miami County), Germantown (Montgomery County), Camden (Preble County), Jamestown (Greene County), Cedarville (Greene County), and Clifton (Clark/Greene Counties).  In each, restoration efforts have been found to be an effective way to link communities with local and regional heritage tourism efforts.  Also included is a chart detailing the current status of opera house buildings in 15 communities, which includes the date of construction, whether or not the building is currently open to the public, and other interesting facts.

One of the most ambitious and important opera house renovation projects is currently underway in nearby Hillsboro (Highland County), involving the magnificent Bell’s Opera House, which opened in 1895. When the last performance at Bell’s occurred decades ago, officials literally “turned out the lights” and walked away; when restoration was first considered years later, ticket stubs were still located in the ticket office. The property is in amazingly original condition. The Bell’s effort is the flagship project of the new Highland Community Preservation Group (HCPG), under a 10-year restoration plan.

Click here to visit the website of the HCPG.

Photo Credit: Bell's Opera House, Hillsboro/sethgaines/Creative Commons License