On a late summer evening in 1862, the recently built wooden building of the city theater in Saratov burned down on Theater Square. The famous Russian actor and director P. M. Medvedev recalled: "At the end of July, during a performance at the country theater of Shekhtel, we saw a huge glow of fire in the city. It was said that the winter theater was on fire." However, Saratov has always been a theatrical city, and getting a contract here was considered prestigious. The new building of the winter city theater was decided to be built of stone, and the design was entrusted to Karl Vasilyevich Tiden (1830-1885).

By the autumn of 1865, the building was completed. The local newspaper reported that "the exterior of our theater resembles one of the Viennese theaters, while the interior layout is similar to the Maly Theater in Moscow." The interiors were characterized by simplicity and elegance. In the auditorium, there were "golden barriers with impeccable patterns on a white background, blue upholstery on the seats. Gilded sconces for candles and decent furniture created a harmonious whole, resembling a wonderful palace, which pleasantly amazed the audience."

After the death of Karl Tiden, a rumor spread that the theater was designed not by him, but by the city architect Alexey Markovich Salko. This version still exists today. However, Salko could not have been the designer, as in 1862 he had just graduated from a construction school and was appointed as an architectural assistant in Saratov. He had no experience in design and construction, and it is unlikely that the local authorities would have entrusted him with such a responsible task. Documents from the State Archive of the Saratov Region indicate that Salko was involved in recalculating the theater's construction estimate, possibly due to rising prices for building materials. His name is absent from the payment records for the work.

Since 1958, the theater has been undergoing reconstruction. Since demolishing the building was prohibited, under the guise of reconstruction, a new building was essentially built over the old one, and then the old parts were dismantled. This is roughly how we see the building of the opera and ballet theater today. It has hardly changed in the last 40 years.