Historic Aledo Opera House reopens on high note

ALEDO, Illinois – The historic Aledo Opera House is singing again. So is the growing chorus of fans of the beautiful renovation of this multi-use entertainment venue at 108 SE 2nd Ave. in the heart of this town’s historic downtown.  Indeed, the grand old theater that began life in 1885 as a roller skating rink […]

ALEDO, Illinois – The historic Aledo Opera House is singing again. So is the growing chorus of fans of the beautiful renovation of this multi-use entertainment venue at 108 SE 2nd Ave. in the heart of this town’s historic downtown.  Indeed, the grand old theater that began life in 1885 as a roller skating rink reopened to rave reviews from more than 1,000 locals and visitors who dropped by to check it out during the June 6-7 annual Rhubarb Fest. That signature event draws 8,000-10,000 visitors each year to this community of nearly 3,600 known as the Rhubarb Capital of Illinois since former Gov. Pat Quinn officially designated it so. To underscore Aledo’s small-town roots, the reimagined venue launched with the sold-out, two-day premiere of the locally produced film “Everything Fun You Could Possibly Do in Aledo, Illinois.”  For developers William J. “WJ” Albertson and his wife Crista this more than $3 million, two-year project by Winborn Group, their development, hospitality and revitalization company, has been a labor of love. It's also been a family affair, with their children providing input and expertise during the process. Though the couple now make their home in an Atlanta suburb – where Mr. Albertson owns and operates an insurance company – their Aledo roots run deep. They return often, including to see their young grandchildren and work on the growing number of high-profile projects they have been tackling here.  They include the renovation of the once-vacant former Mercer County Carnegie Library. Today it serves as a co-working facility for technology education, recruiting and employment called High Tech/Small Town. In 2021, the adaptive reuse of that shuttered and deteriorating historic treasure won Landmark Illinois’ prestigious Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award.

‘More than a building’

Among those celebrating the development group and its latest successful undertaking is Aledo Mayor Chris Hagloch. The Aledo Opera house project “is about more than a building,” he told the QCBJ. “Since it first opened more than 120 years ago, it has been a place for residents and others to gather, connect and build memories. Because of the work by Windborn Group, generations to come will get that same experience.” Mr. Hagloch added “WJ and his team share our vision for revitalizing Aledo’s Historic Downtown, and projects like the Opera House, the Button Building and many others are critical to this work. We are grateful for their vision and dedication to restoring these historic spaces.” Mr. Albertson said they tackled the Aledo Opera House for several reasons.  “I think from the beginning we knew that to bring people back to downtown Aledo you had to have somewhere to visit. You could bring businesses, you can bring jobs, but you also need something to do,” he told a QCBJ reporter before leading a tour of the venue. “I think with this sitting idle and having the potential to entertain again, I think that was a key piece, because it's not just entertainment for the local community, but the surrounding area and you can draw people in.”  That includes the 400,000 or so people he said live in a 40-mile radius of the theater. “It’s a small venue,” Mr. Albertson said of the theater which seats about 240. “But with those kind of folks in the area, we just felt like, ‘Hey, this is a place where we can bring people to town and have a great time.’”

He also pointed to a larger “resurgence of local communities bringing back theaters, and not just just movie theaters,” but venues that can host musical acts, theatrical productions and more. Running the Aledo Opera House is Director of Operations Nathan Sipes and a governing board composed of the local leaders who make up the Aledo Opera House Inc. That nonprofit recently received its federal 501(c)(3) status. That is important, Mr. Albertson said, because operating a theater is expensive, and it would take a great deal of private investment to keep it going even before all the considerable investments already made in the structure are taken into account. As a nonprofit, Aledo Opera House Inc. will be both community driven and self-sustaining thanks to the fundraising capabilities and government and private grants that will now be available to it. (Those wishing to donate or become members can do so on the Aledo Opera website at https://aledooperahouse.com/home/).

Community support key

Mr. Albertson said the nonprofit path was also chosen because “we want to have folks within the community and with those talents support it and take it forward.” Like the Albertsons, Mr. Sipes’ roots at the Aledo Opera House are generational. "My own memories and experiences in this venue are what drive me. I want to create a space where people can make new memories and share meaningful experiences together,” he told the QCBJ.  “As someone who literally grew up performing on this stage, it has been incredibly meaningful to have a part in renewing this venue so that generations to come can continue to make memories and be entertained in my hometown,” he added. The Sipes family was part of a volunteer group called the Opera House Stage Company. It operated from 1990 to 2000 and helped keep the opera house going during one of the many times it was a challenge to do so throughout the years. The volunteers put on two performances each year including a variety-show-style performance called the Opera House Stage Revue, and a drama, musical, or comedy stage show. “It's safe to say that these early experiences of seeing my family performing on the stage and operating the sound console and lighting controller influenced my path to end up as a performing musician and audio engineer, something I've done for the last two decades – among many other things.” Mr. Sipes said. He also said he is “incredibly proud of the restoration work we've been able to accomplish. I personally feel that the best way to honor the past is to ensure it can continue to be appreciated and enjoyed.”  He called the renovation “a delicate balancing act of deciding how much we could keep as original and what simply needed to be remade in order to ensure safety and comfort for everyone.” These days, Mr. Sipes said, “Overall, I usually hear two things from everyone who comes through the doors: One, ‘Wow, it's so different from what I remember!’ Two, ‘You've been able to keep so much of the original character!’ That makes me incredibly proud.”  As is Mr. Sipes' sister, Tarah Sipes, the City of Rock Island’s economic development manager who had previously served as Aledo’s economic development coordinator. In that previous role, she worked to help create the city’s historic downtown district.  “The Opera House has a special place in the memories of those who grew up in Mercer County. To see the space brought back to life with such thoughtful care and detail brings joy to so many,” Ms. Sipes said. “The design of the project respects the historic nature of the building in a smart way. The space feels familiar, but modern, and opens up opportunities for exciting programming that will draw visitors to Aledo for years to come."

Blending old, new

Those modern additions also were carefully designed for comfort and are both subtle and welcome against the historic backdrop, the QCBJ’s tour of the venue revealed.  For example, Mr. Albertson said, rather than try to reuse the old uncomfortable seats, comfy new ones were made. But they incorporated a key element of the old ones by replacing the cast iron decorative panels on the aisle seats with a painted aluminum version created by a Wisconsin company.  The venue can easily seat 240 with the main-floor theater seats plus the comfy sofas and chairs that fill the theater’s balcony, which also features a well-appointed bar and popcorn maker.

Another dominant, original feature of the Aledo Opera House is the theater’s maple floors. Those beautiful three-inch-thick hardwood boards were installed on their sides to support the then-new building’s original incarnation in 1885 as The Aledo Skating Rink. After resanding and refinishing, today they look brand new. Mr. Albertson said the Aledo Opera House’s overall style has been described as “‘subdued opulence.” That’s because, he said, “you want to be opulent to show off the place, but you also have to be subdued because we're in a little small town.”  The style also features a variety of design elements including Art Deco and Art Nouveau because “we wanted to show kind of its timeline in a way, too,” Mr. Albertson said. Even the new light fixtures, which look right at home in the building, were selected by the Albertsons’ designer daughter to reflect period ones. There are numerous other nods to the building’s history, he said. Colorful old movie posters are featured on the theater’s exterior walls along with playbills including in the small but welcoming and well-appointed talent space complete with giant TV and a bedroom that was created in the old attic. Perhaps the biggest reminder of the building's past is the original eight-foot fan that was installed in 1917 as part of the old theater’s evaporative cooling system. According to the opera house’s website, it featured a trough where water was sprayed onto a large block of ice. The fan is prominently displayed behind glass today as is the old projector from the silent film days. That then modern “technology” is world’s away from the renewed Aledo Opera’s House’s 7.1 Dolby surround sound and a 2K digital laser projector. That has allowed the theater to premiere Disney’s “How to Train Your Dragon”, a summer blockbuster. It will follow that up with "Jurassic World” on the Fourth of July weekend. This is a full-circle moment for Mr. Albertson, who vividly remembers as a boy watching premiers of “Popeye” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” at the Aledo Opera House.

Who made it happen?

The renewed theater’s historically sensitive renovation couldn't have happened without a large team of talented contractors, subcontractors and designers –  the vast majority of them from the Quad Cities. They were led by Estes Construction.  The Davenport-based regional construction manager formally thanked many of those who worked on the project during a celebratory pre-grand opening party the contractor hosted at the Aledo Opera House. It included a band and provided the venue with another welcome early soft opening opportunity to test the space, Mr. Albertson said. Among those who made the project possible, according to a list provided by Estes, were: Bill Miller Excavating, Colona, Illinois; Continental Fire Sprinkler Co., Davenport; Cooper Floor Covering, Aledo; Crawford Company, Rock Island; Davis Seating, Black River Falls, Wisconsin; East Moline Glass Co.;  Doherty Brothers Roofing, Aledo; Hawkeye Electric, Davenport; Johnson Contracting, East Moline; Lohman Earth Works, Davenport; QC Hardwood Flooring, Bettendorf; Radtron Studio, Nashville, Tennessee; Rexroat Sound, Colona; Riddell Roofing Inc., Aledo; Riverbend Signworks, Davenport; and Robertson Manufacturing, Davenport; Studio Sideshow, Nashville, Tenn. In addition, the project’s design team included Carr Engineering, Bettendorf; MJH Engineering, Aledo; and Streamline Architects, East Moline.

Aledo Opera House Timeline

1885: Constructed in downtown Aledo as the Aledo Roller Skating Rink. 1904: Converted into a small-town opera house. Hosted cultural, social, and entertainment events, including live theater, music and later cinema. 1913: Began showing silent films, accompanied by live music performed on piano or by singers. 1917: An evaporative cooling system was installed, consisting of an eight-foot fan, a five horsepower motor and a trough in which water was sprayed onto a large block of ice. 1922: Community debate is launched over Sunday movie screenings. 1932: A goat is turned loose inside the theater during the showing of a motion picture, causing “considerable consternation among patrons.” 1986: After changing hands several times, the theater closed citing low attendance due to competition from TVs, VCRs and multiplexes. Volunteers successfully mobilized to reopen it. 1997: The movie theater closed. 2002: It was reopened as a theater and a new projector and sound systems were installed. It was closed in 2014. 2016: The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing structure to the Downtown Aledo Historic District. That December Michelle and Dan Mellgren reopened the opera house while seeking to raise money to buy a digital projector needed to show modern films. 2018: The couple closed the business. 2023: The latest plan to renovate the building as a movie theater and performing arts venue begins to take shape. 2025: June 6-7 grand opening is held featuring the screening of the locally produced film ““Everything Fun You Could Possibly Do in Aledo, Illinois.”  SOURCE: ALEDO OPERA HOUSE WEBSITE