Here Edwin Booth played Hamlet, February 15, 1876, on his first Southern tour after the War. "Blind Tom" Bethune, the Negro musical prodigy born near Columbus, performed here often. Oscar Wilde and Williams Jennings Bryan lectured here; John L. Sullivan, the world champion gave a boxing exhibition, and Mrs. John Drew, grandmother of the Barrymores, starred in She Stoops to Conquer. Here, in 1928, Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered a "Happy Warrior" speech in behalf of presidential nominee, Al Smith.
In 1902 the Springer sons completely renovated their opera house. From that time until it became a movie house in 1941, the Springer continued to be the city's cultural center.
In 1959 the Springer closed and in the Spring of 1964, The Columbus Little Theater Opera House Trustees was formed to prevent its destruction. On October 6, 1965, The Little Theater's musical production of St. Elmo, based upon the Victorian novel by Columbus-born author, Augusta Evans Wilson, was presented amidst the Springer's restored Victorian splendor.
| HM Number | HMVNC |
|---|---|
| Series | This marker is part of the Georgia: Georgia Historical Society/Commission series |
| Tags | |
| Marker Number | 106-31 |
| Year Placed | 1966 |
| Placed By | Georgia Historical Commission |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Tuesday, September 23rd, 2014 at 9:18pm PDT -07:00 |
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 16S E 688765 N 3593740 |
|---|---|
| Decimal Degrees | 32.46486667, -84.99151667 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 32° 27.892', W 84° 59.491' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 32° 27' 53.52" N, 84° 59' 29.46" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 706 |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near 101-199 E 10th St, Columbus GA 31901, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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