We Might Buy the Historic (1894) House Next Door
In a Nutshell
The creators are seriously considering buying the historic 1894 Dodge House next to their Montello Theater to expand their business. The house is already a successful Airbnb, and they plan to keep it that way while adding history tours and wedding packages that connect the two properties. After four years restoring the theater, they're weighing whether they can handle another major historic property project.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Four years ago, the movie theater was taken over after being closed for COVID. Starting from scratch again, there was fear that movies might be done and people might not want to come back. When learning about the niece opening a movie theater in today's day and age, the reaction was "Are you nuts?"
The Montello Theater movie projector is shown. Thousands of stories were told there before a single movie played. Mr. Frank Dodge is shown at the house next door. When coming to the theater, the house just next door is the same beautiful brick house, except without the wooden walkway and dirt road. Frank Dodge started the opera house. A picture of the opera house from 1888 is shown. The movie theater is thriving, and the question is whether the Dodge house can be similarly successful. It has been sitting there while managing the documentary and movie theater businesses.
There is an opportunity to buy the house next to the theater, which is the Dodge House. The movie theater is the Dodge Opera House. There is excitement about potentially owning both properties, though uncertainty exists about whether it is the right decision and the additional work it would require. The question is whether taking on another business is manageable after the extensive work done on the theater over the last four years.
Extensive updates have been made to the theater in the last week, including someone putting brand new doors on. After waiting four years for new doors, they were built from scratch. A new side door was installed, painted, and warning signs were added. The back steps were painted. Updates have been made while keeping the theater old-fashioned.
The Dodge Opera House dates back to 1898. The current owners did an amazing job decorating with items from thrift stores and antique stores, making it look like it is from the 1800s. If purchased, the owners would leave everything in place, requiring minimal changes. The plan is to keep it as an Airbnb while also turning it into a history tour destination, incorporating history tours similar to those already done at the theater.
Two hours were spent at the courthouse researching Dodge family history, specifically Frank Dodge and William Dodge, Frank Dodge's dad. Information was gathered going back to the historic house. Research focused on determining how long the house and opera house were owned together and when they split. Approximately 20 pages of historical documents were collected.
The documents were scanned and plugged into a Claude project with instructions to analyze them and provide a summary timeline showing when Frank Dodge owned the Dodge House and the Opera House, when those ownership periods overlapped, and when he sold them. The AI output showed the whole lineage spanning documents from 100 years apart, including both 1800s and 1900s records.
A shout-out is given to Bremer Construction and Charlie from Bremer Construction for incredible work above and beyond expectations. The beautiful entrance with woodwork and trim was built from scratch. A picture of the former front doors of Montello Theatre is referenced. Bremer Construction is recommended for anyone needing construction work including patios, porches, woodworking, doors, and entryways.
Frank Dodge used to go from the opera house building and walk right down the sidewalk to the house. He would hobble because he unfortunately had one leg. The Montello Theatre was purchased and reopened after not showing a movie in two years, with a Back to the Future grand reopening planned.
The Dodge House was built in 1893. The property originally had dirt roads rather than concrete. Frank Dodge was working in the quarry at the time. The view from the house looked out to where Frank Dodge was working in the quarry. The property is described as absolutely gorgeous, with a commercial kitchen inside. There is a spot outside called the stonecutter where a restaurant was located. If purchased, plans include doing something with the outdoor space as well.
The property is already an Airbnb. If taken over, it would continue operating as an Airbnb. Interest is gauged for staying at this Airbnb paired with the movie theater experience, including volunteering at the theater, watching movies, private showings, and history tours. The aunt actually got married at the theater.
The historic Montello Theater is suggested as a potential wedding venue where people could get ready at the Dodge House, have the wedding at the theater, and take pictures at the property. The series will continue with the question of whether the Dodge house will be purchased, what it looks like inside, and a walkthrough in the next video.
The current owners did an amazing, beautiful job updating everything to look like it is from the 1800s. Support for the independently owned small-town movie theater is encouraged through likes, comments, shares, and visiting for movies.
Keep HomeSteadHow in your library
Save the videos and channels worth coming back to, and find them again in one place.
