Opera House - Henryetta, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 35° 26.399 W 095° 59.166
15S E 228939 N 3925935
Opera Houses served as the primary gathering places for entertainment in the early frontier days of Oklahoma.
Waymark Code: WMYH0D
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 06/15/2018
Views: 2
This three-story building was an Opera House, and on the facade next to the date "1910" it reads "OPERA HOUSE". During the early days of Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory, the pioneers lived hard lives, with mostly work and little entertainment. Often, an Opera House was built in a town, to bring some levity to their otherwise difficult lives. Touring theatrical companies, operatic singers and vaudeville acts booked shows in small towns along the railroad route. Though most of the early settlers were farmers and miners, these opera houses remind us of the other side of the human spirit. Some opera houses were later converted to the showing of motion pictures. We could not determine whether this was so, but indications are that it was only used for live entertainment.
Opera Houses in small towns usually had retail businesses on the ground floor with a stage and seating on an upper level. This building appears to have been used that way. The ground floor has been, and still is used for retail space and there are five storefronts facing Main and 4th Street.
The upper floors have single window units with stone sills, which are all currently covered with metal siding. The units on the second floor have brick arches. The entry to the upper floors is at the center of the facade, and consists of double doors with transom and an arch and keystone. The original opera house stage has been removed, and the auditorium on the upper levels had been converted into apartments, but today, the area is vacant.
