October 26, 1976

The Courier Times

With the purchase of the Guyer Opera House in Lewisville, Raintree County Opera House Guild, Inc., has partially achieved the first of its four objectives. When the theater opens in June, 1977, the first phase will have been completed.

The Guild announced recently that it had acquired the building from Mr. and Mrs. Tony Petyon of Lewisville for $15,000. An additional $35,000 is needed to bring the opera house up to state safety requirements. New plumbing, wiring, heating system and air conditioning are needed. The Guild hopes to restore the building much as it was when it opened in 1902.

Planned for next year are a summer theater and civic projects such as meetings, style shows and recitals. The guild also plans to sponsor a children’s theater, film festivals and lectures.

Many of the theater’s original fixtures still are intact – gaslight fixtures, painted asbestos curtain, dressing rooms, winch, trap door, and many playbills.

After the theater’s opening next June, the Guild plans to restore the exterior of the building and to furnish the lobby in Victorian style. This is the second phase. Phase three will be the complete restoration of the auditorium and phase Four will be the addition of a production area at the back of the existing structure.

The Guild plans to apply for National Landmark status for the building which has been called the best-preserved opera house between Columbus, Ohio, and Indianapolis.