When it first opened
• Columbus was known as the Buggy Capitol of America (carriage manufacturing was big business here).
• Shortly after the Southern opened, as the city got its first power station for electricity, Columbus was called the City of Arches because of the large, electrified arches that lined the main streets of downtown.
• Among the businesses active on the southern part of downtown were the Buggy Works, several brewing companies, and Lazarus Department Store.
• The theater was built next to a hotel (The Great Southern “Fireproof” Hotel and Opera House). It was paid for by a group of downtown businessmen (including the Lazarus family) who wanted to ensure activity on the southern part of downtown by adding an “entertainment and business center.”
• Many 19th century theaters were built next to hotels so visitors could carry on business meetings, eat in the hotel restaurant, go to the theater for entertainment, and sleep. Entertainers would also stay in the hotels attached to these theaters.