Rochester Opera House
Date Visited: July 21, 2019
Stop: #26
Rochester was settled in 1817 by the Graham family. They built a log cabin at what is now the southeast corner of East 2nd Street and South Main Street (approximately where the Quik Pik and Penn Station stores are located today, for those familiar with the area). The city was named after Rochester, New York, since many of the pioneers who settled here came from New York. Rochester became an industrial hub as it grew because of the two rivers that run through it – the Clinton River and the Paint Creek. Through its history, Rochester has been home to a refinery for sugar beets, a paper products company, and the Western Knitting Mills factory (see my Stop #20 blog for more details on the knitting mill). None of these industries exist in Rochester today; instead, Rochester thrives with a vibrant downtown area lined with boutique stores, restaurants, and bars. Our personal favorites include the Rochester Chop House, Red Knapp’s, Gus O’Connor’s Public House, and the Desert Oasis (and Mr. B’s, which unfortunately closed its doors in 2019). On the north end of town, we really enjoy breakfasts at Paul’s on Main Street, and lunches at Lipuma’s Coney Island.
Supporting Rochester as a growing industrial center were two railroads which no longer exist, but have been converted into recreational trails as part of Michigan’s Rails to Trails program. There also used to be a large pond on the east side of town called Chapman Mill Pond, but the pond was wiped out by a flood that took place in 1949 when a dam on the Paint Creek broke. The land has been reclaimed and the current Post Office and the Rochester Library now sit where the pond used to be. The only reminder of the pond is Water Street, which used to run along the edge of the pond and still exists today.
As this community grew, the Village of Rochester formed in April, 1869. It became the city of Rochester in 1967. Rochester is known today for many popular events, including the annual Rochester Hometown Christmas Parade (first held in 1951, it is said to be the biggest Christmas Parade in the state of Michigan), the Big Bright Light Show (started in 2006 and features every building along downtown Main Street draped in multi-colored Christmas lights throughout the each Christmas holiday season), and the annual Arts & Apples Festival held each September in Rochester’s beautiful city park.
Rochester is located on M-150 (Rochester Road beyond the city borders, and Main Street within its borders), directly north of Troy, and about 25 miles north of downtown Detroit. As of 2017, it had a population of 13,029.
With that now behind us, lets journey across the street to our next destination – The Rochester Opera House. This building is located on the southeast corner of East 4th Street and South Main Street and was built in 1890 by George Burr, a prominent businessman who settled in Rochester in 1882. At the time, the building was home to the First National Bank and Norton Pharmacy. In fact, a pharmacy has resided in this building every year since its opening, including Lytle’s Pharmacy, which occupies a space in the building today. As far as the opera house part of the building, it was located on the second floor and had its Grand Opening on November 7, 1890. This space hosted plays, movies, lectures, dances, boxing matches, reunions, etc. until 1933 but, ironically, never hosted an opera!!! The Rochester Opera House became the cultural center of the area. Robert Lytle restored the building in 1986-87, and it was listed on the State Register of Historic Places on June 21, 1990.
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