The city 's former Grand Opera House was built in 1889 by two half brothers , Israel Marks and Levi Rothenberg . During its operation the opera house hosted many famous artists and works , the first being a German company 's rendition of Johann Strauss II 's " The Gypsy Baron " . After closing in the late 1920s due to the Great Depression , the opera house was abandoned for nearly 70 years . A $ 10 million grant in 2000 by the Riley Foundation , a local foundation chartered in 1998 , sparked the building 's restoration while $ 15 million came from a combination of city , county , and federal grants . The opera house 's renovation was completed in September 2006 under the new name " Mississippi State University Riley Center for Education and Performing Arts . " The Riley Center , which includes a 950 @-@ seat auditorium for live performances , a 200 @-@ seat studio theater , and 30 @,@ 000 sq ft ( 2 @,@ 787 m2 ) of meeting space , attracts more than 60 @,@ 000 visitors to downtown Meridian annually for conferences , meetings , and performances .