LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Broadway legend Bernadette Peters took the stage to a standing ovation at the Lexington Opera House on Sunday night as part of the theater’s 140th anniversary celebration.

The performance marked a milestone for the downtown Lexington landmark, which opened in 1887. But by the 1970s, the opera house had fallen into disrepair and faced the threat of being torn down.

A group of people living in Lexington refused to let the theater close. Linda Carey championed the effort to save the landmark and helped raise funds for its restoration.

Sonia Ross volunteered for two years working on plaster for the renovation without pay.

“My garbage man hated me because my garbage can weigh about 250 pounds,” Ross said.

Jim Host, who sits on the opera house board, said the venue is one of the most acoustically perfect theaters in the country.

“What’s special about it is the most acoustical perfect theater in the country besides the Ford Theater,” Host said. “It is restored in the original format that caused great Broadway people to come here and use.”