The City of Biddeford purchased land in the late 1840’s at the corner of Adams and Main Streets, and at that site planned the first building exclusively for the city government. It was to house all municipal offices, as well as the original opera house. The opera house opened in October 1860 with a play depicting slavery in the Southern states - appropriate on the eve of the Civil War. An era of theatrical history began for the city of Biddeford. Edwin Booth, Joseph Jefferson, and Pat Rooney appeared over the years before appreciative audiences.