McPherson Opera House - McPherson, Kansas - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com

The McPherson Opera House located at the northeast corner of Main and Sutherland streets is a rectangular three-story building with a basement. This large Eclectic style structure measures approximately 130 feet long, 50 feet wide, and 40 feet high. The roof is steeply pitched in a mansard effect for several feet and then becomes a flat tar roof.

A main entrance to the opera house is on the south side within a massive two-story stone arch. Above the arch is a carved stone balustrade. At the third floor level is another stone and brick arch, which in turn is capped by a large decorated stone gable. The double doors at the first floor are flanked by granite columns within the archway. The entrance way with its decorative stone work is one of the most impressive features of the building.

The exterior walls are of red brick and limestone and are topped by a stone cornice. A horizontal band of cut stone separates the first and second floors and a protruding band of brick on the south and stone on the west separates the second and third floors. Brick pilasters vertically divide the west facade into three symmetrical sections and the south facade into eight sections, some of them of unequal size. Each brick pilaster terminates above the roof line with a unique brick and stone pinnacle.

All windows are rectangular, although there may originally have been some with curved sides in the entrance arch. Doors are likewise rectangular and both doors and windows had wood frames. However, many of the present window frames are of metal. All first floor windows on the south facade have arched stone lintels as well as stone jambs. Second floor windows on the south have horizontal stone lintels. Those on the west have a horizontal brick lintel with a stone keystone. All third floor windows have an arched lintel of a stone and brick combination. Stone sills are common to all windows. Many of the window openings on the south side have been bricked shut.

On the west front a flat-roofed porch overhangs the sidewalk at the first floor level and shelters the entrances. An arched stone design centered on the west facade encloses windows on the second and third floors. A stone gable similar to the one on the south is located over the arched design at the roof line. At the very bottom of the gable raised stone letters spell out "OPERA HOUSE."

Visible alterations appear to be confined to the building's windows with many on the south side bricked shut and the semicircular arches of the third floor windows filled in with metal siding.