Located at 103 10th Street in downtown Columbus, Georgia, the Springer Opera House is now the State Theatre of Georgia. It opened for business on February 21, 1871, and was considered the finest opera house between New York and New Orleans. Six hundred people attended the first performance which was an "amateur concert by the ladies and gentlemen of Trinity Church". The Springer had 1,250 seats, two balconies, boxes with chandeliers over each one, a marble-floored lobby and frescoed walls. The Opera House had been built by Francis Joseph Springer, who before the Civil War had immigrated to Columbus from Alsace. Springer brought talent and business acumen to his theatre. He placed his theatre in the center of a commercial complex that included his wholesale grocery business, the Springer Hotel and rental space. The Springer attracted many well-known personages including: Blind Tom, Edwin Booth, Oscar Wilde, Tom Thumb, Booker T. Washington, John Philip Sousa, Lily Langtry and Franklin D. Roosevelt. In the 1900s, the Springer became a movie house. In 1959 the Springer closed and stood deserted until 1964 when it was slated for demolition. The idea grew to save it from the wrecking ball. A group called the Springer Opera House Trustees was formed to raise money to purchase and preserve the building. The Springer reopened on October 6, 1965 with an original musical production of St. Elmo, a melodrama based on the novel of the same name by Augusta Jane Evans. In 1971, its centennial year, the Springer was designated The State Theatre of Georgia. The theatre was designated a National Historical landmark in 1978.