The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on January 22, 1915:OPERA HOUSE TO BE BUILTDefinite Assurance of Fine, New Opera House for Luverne is Given and Work will be Started Soon.BIG BRICK STRUCTURE ON UNION BLOCK CORNERThoroughly Modern Opera House, Two Store Rooms and Dance Hall Will be Contained in New Building"Positive assurance that Luverne will this year secure a new, thoroughly modern opera house, representing an investment of approximately $40,000, was given this week by Herman Joachims, of Schleswig, Ia. He is the owner of the property known as Union Hall, and the new play house will occupy this site. Mr. Joachims arrived here Monday and remained here until Wednesday evening, working out general plans for the new structure, which will be a brick building 63x135 feet in ground dimensions, and two full stories high, that will be similar in architecture and interior arrangements to that of the Orpheum Theatre of Sioux Falls. The plans provide for two rooms for rental purposes at the front of the building, with an entrance way fourteen feet wide extending north and south through the center of the building to the opera house proper. The store on the east of the entrance will be 23 feet wide and extend back 60 feet, and on the west side the store room will be 23 feet wide and 48 feet long. The opera house or auditorium will be located at the south end of the structure, with the stage adjoining the alley, and will occupy a space about 63x75 feet. At the rear of the auditorium will be a balcony and on each side two opera boxes. In the front end on the second floor, immediately over the entrance way and two store rooms, a dance hall will be provided with floor space 50x60 feet.Entrance to the hall and to the balcony and opera boxes will be gained by stairways at the rear of the store room on the west side of the entrance way, and immediately adjoining the stairways on the south will be the ticket office. The plans also call for another, and smaller stairway leading to the dance hall and balcony at the rear of the store room on the east side, and provision is made for entrance to the opera boxes from the stage. Aisles at the center and extreme sides of the auditorium are provided for. They extend north and south, and the side aisles lead onto the stage, connecting with the doors opening into the alley.The seating capacity of the auditorium will be 520, that of the balcony 144, and each one of the opera boxes will accommodate four people.These plans will at once be submitted to the state fire marshal and if they meet with this official’s approval, plans and specifications will be prepared and submitted to the common council. Mr. Joachims will return to Luverne the first part of February, and expects to start work on the new project March 1st. Mr. Joachims has conducted the opera house at Schleswig for a number of years and is said to be not only thoroughly familiar with all the requirements of such a venture, but also has ample means to carry out the large project that he has undertaken here. He recently disposed of his opera house at Schleswig and gives possession Feb. 1st. Donations to the Rock County Historical endowment fund can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, P.O. Box 741, Luverne, MN 56156.Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.