Monticello Opera House keeps a small-town stage alive

Monticello Opera House gives the town a center of gravity you can actually use.

The building started as the Perkins Block in 1890. Its history page traces it to John H. Perkins, a Monticello businessman who used the first floor for mercantile space and put the theater upstairs. Today, the building still hosts concerts, plays, community theater, dinners, classes, and other events.

That makes the opera house more than a pretty old facade. It helps Jefferson County feel lived-in, because the historic building is still part of the local calendar. In a small town, that matters. A stage, a banquet hall, and a courtyard can do a lot of civic work.

If you are near Monticello, check the current event schedule before you decide it is just a photo stop. A quiet daytime walk tells one story. A show night tells another one.