City of Bowling Green purchases Potter Opera House building

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The City of Bowling Green has purchased the old Potter Opera House building, a historic landmark in downtown Bowling Green.

The building sits at the corner of College Street and East Main Avenue. It was most recently home to BB&T, now Truist, in downtown Bowling Green.

The Downtown Redevelopment Authority has been working to revive the property since 2024.

Now with the city taking ownership, those plans can move forward.

City manager, Jeff Meisel, says the $1,250,000 purchase also covers roof repairs and cleaning out the building before it goes out for bid.

“We do not intend to hold this building long term for city offices or city purposes, but we just want to be kind of the spur or the igniter to further economic development because that’s a corner piece of Fountain Square Park. It’s just a very important piece of our downtown that we want to save and make something good out of,” he says.

On top of the new roof, the city also plans to update electrical work before requesting bids from developers with a preference to those with commercial historic preservation backgrounds.

News 40 will keep you updated as we learn more.