Joe Vogel on January 5, 2012 at 4:52 am  The Majestic Theatre was an extensive rebuilding of the Utica Opera House, which had been built in 1871. When Sam Shubert took over the lease on the Opera House in 1900, he had the building largely gutted and expanded to create a space for a more modern theater. In addition to the new Majestic, the building housed a second-floor assembly room at the Washington Street corner of the structure, and this was converted into the Orpheum Theatre in 1901. 

The December, 1900, issue of Engineering Review featured an article on the rebuilding project, focusing largely on the heating systems of the new theater. It noted that the architect for the project was Fuller Claflin, of the New York firm of J. B. McElfatrick & Son. \http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/30767 

December 5, 1884  

This is a bit faded, but a good rendition of the Utica Opera House, on Lafayette Street, where the Hotel Utica Now Stands. The Opera House burned in March 1905. No surprise that it was then co owned by none other than Owens and Latcher. http://morestories.proboards.com/thread/427/utica-opera-house

From Jocelyn Ireland at the Utica Public Library:  I found two newspaper articles that may interest you. Attached is the  announcement and program of the Mark Twain and Cable readings at the  Opera House printed in the Utica Morning Herald on December 5, 1884.  The other is an article printed in 1900 describing the history of the  Opera House. I will check our city directory to see if I can find an  exact location of the Opera House.  

And she did check and verified the location as the Opera House Block at the corner of Fayette and Washington.