Matthews Block
Thomas Newton Matthews was originally from Texas, owned property in Wyoming and lived in Spearfish. In 1900 he began construction on a large commercial building on the northeast corner of Main and Hudson Streets. Just as construction was finished he decided to expand. His plans included stores on the first level of the new building, apartments, offices and an opera house on the second level. The expansion was completed in 1906 and composed of native sandstone and brick. In later years Thomas Newton's son, Thomas William removed the seats from the opera house so that it could be used for a dance floor. Silent movies were shown in the opera house in the 1920's. During the 1970's a local production of "The Phantom of Matthew's Opera House" was performed every summer. A complete renovation of the opera house, which was completed in 1997, added a lobby and modern facilities.