The ground floor was developed for commercial enterprises, such as a drug store and adjacent butcher shop, while the second floor provided a place for community gatherings, serving the local community’s social and cultural needs, as an Opera Hall, motion picture theater, and ballroom. It was listed in the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties in 1988 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

The Mancos Opera House is in the midst of a multi-phase project to accomplish the full historic renovation of the building and to restore it to full capacity to serve the community as an arts hub with multi-use ground-floor businesses. The proposed project will rehabilitate the roof and gutter system. The failing EPDM roof membrane and underlayments will be removed, retaining the historic wood substrate, and new fire code-rated underlayment and EPDM membrane installed to protect the building and its historic brick without changing the appearance of the building from the street or altering the historic parapets. This will prevent additional water damage to the building and surrounding brick structures. The new gutter and downspouts will divert water from the wall and foundation of the structure.