The Fife Opera House is a theater in

Palestine, Illinois Palestine is a village in Crawford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,369 at the 2010 census, a 0.2 percent increase from 1,366 in 2000. Geography Palestine is located at (39.002214, -87.612110). According to the 2010 census ...

, in Crawford County. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and has been since January 26, 1990.

History

Construction at the David Fife Opera House started in 1898 and finished in 1901. In the building David Fife operated a hardware store on the ground floor. Upon completion the opera house seated several hundred in a building that measured 55 X . The raked floor was filled with upholstered, red leather theater seats. Audiences were cooled by electric fans in summer and heat provided by a coal furnace kept them warm in cooler weather. The two original ceiling fixtures included a mirrored collar which reflected the glow of the high wattage light bulbs. At the west end of the building is the stage with a long opening and high, the stage is encircled by 25 lights. A handpainted rolled canvas

fire curtain A safety curtain (or fire curtain in America) is a fire safety precaution used in large proscenium theatres. It is usually a heavy fibreglass or iron curtain located immediately behind the proscenium arch. Asbestos-based materials were orig ...

was hand painted by artists from Sosman and Landes, a Chicago company. The curtain art shows a

Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetian and the like may also refer to: * Venetian language, a Romance language s ...

canal scene. Side and top panels along the stage depict draperies surrounding a tree-lined river. Recently, other painted scenes showing gardens, waterfalls and a turn of the century scene have been discovered in the building.A Brief History
Fife Opera House, Palestine Preservation Projects Society Fife's mother demanded that one of the building's five interior art panels, the one that featured

cherubs A cherub (; plural cherubim; he, כְּרוּב ''kərūḇ'', pl. ''kərūḇīm'', likely borrowed from a derived form of akk, 𒅗𒊏𒁍 ''karabu'' "to bless" such as ''karibu'', "one who blesses", a name for the lamassu) is one of the u ...

, be painted over to cover their nakedness. It is said the lights all over Palestine dimmed when Fife threw the switches to the lights at the opera house on opening night.

Notes

External links

Fife Opera House
— Palestine Preservation Projects Society {{Registered Historic Places Opera houses in Illinois Buildings and structures in Crawford County, Illinois National Register of Historic Places in Crawford County, Illinois Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Theatres completed in 1901 Music venues completed in 1901 Opera houses on the National Register of Historic Places Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois