Through the efforts of the Public Hall Association, formed to establish a performance hall in the City of Columbus, the Springer Opera House was brought to life. Funds were raised by the members of the association quickly by selling stock and agreed to name the hall to the person holding the largest block of stock. A business man, a lover of theatre, music and dance and with a dream of opening a theatre in Columbus, Francis Joseph Springer, devoted to build the theater, became the largest shareholder of the Public Hall Association and bought the shares of other members until he gained full ownership of the also considered State Theater of Georgia.

The Springer Opera House opened in February 21, 1871 with a benefit concert for the nearby Trinity Episcopal Church and has been a host to well-known performers such as Edwin Booth, band leader John Philip Sousa, matinee idols James O'Neill and Joseph Jefferson and Barnum's famous General Tom Thumb.

Because of the rise in popularity of Motion Picture, the Springer Opera House started showing numerous Thomas Edison?s new Vitascope films which made live performances become unpopular that by 1931 the final live theatre production was staged and the great old theatre survived as a movie house for some time under its new owner, Martin Theatres. Theatres closed the Springer Opera House in 1958 due to the drop in number of people going to see the movies leaving it vacant for years. Fortunately, through the hard works of the board of trustees formed by the Columbus Little Theatre (a group of local actors), the Springer Opera House was restored and was reopened on September 23, 1965 with a Columbus Little Theatre play adaptation of St. Elmo, a novel by Augusta Jane Evans.

Today the Springer Opera House stands as a National Historic Landmark which received a $12 million grant for its full restoration and preservation expanding it with two halls, the Emily Woodruff Hall that hosts the Mainstage Series featuring some of the country?s newest plays, musicals and Broadway-style productions and the Foley Hall where the theatre?s Studio II Series and Children?s Theatre Series are staged.