Opera House - Waukomis, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 36° 16.850 W 097° 53.941
14S E 598877 N 4015659
Opera Houses were the center of community activities in the early days of the frontier.
Waymark Code: WMYJ04
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 06/18/2018
Views: 3
This is a one-story brick building with a stepped parapet. Just a few years ago, the building was its original red brick color. Recently, the facade has had stucco added and the wood covered windows have been infilled with stone. It gives the appearance that the town is renovating this building for future use.
On the facade the windows have rusticated sills and lintels. The entrance has an arched opening. The arch is formed by four rows of end bricks with rusticated keystones. The arch has been covered over with smooth concrete, with the keystones still extant. The door is an overhead door, but was possibly a double pedestrian door in the past. Above the door, the words "OPERA HOUSE 1900" have been added. At the roof line, large rusticated stones have been stepped to form the parapet, and stone quoins are used at the building corners.
In the early days of Oklahoma Territory, "opera houses" were civic centers, used as gathering places for dances, graduations, weddings, and traveling entertainment. Waukomis was established in 1893. Dr. S. F. Scott built the first two stone buildings in town in 1900, one of them being this operate house.
