The Evansville Business Men's Association, a predecessor to the Chamber of Commerce, was established in 1886. The BMA building (later known as the Waverly Building, the Grein Building and the Mercantile National Bank Building) and the adjoining Grand Theater (left background), also known as the Grand Opera House, were constructed in 1889 at the corner of Sycamore & 2nd Streets, currently the location of the Fifth Third bank tower. When it opened in the fall of 1889, the 1,700-seat theater rivaled facilities in any of the larger cities, with its domed ceiling, chandelier, 3 tiers of boxed seating and 2 balconies. The Grand Opera House was an icon of Evansville architecture and a cultural center for the performing arts until being razed in 1962.