King Opera House

Last updated

King Opera House
King Opera House, Van Buren, Arkansas.jpg
King Opera House, 2007
USA Arkansas location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location427 Main Street
Van Buren, Arkansas,
Coordinates 35°26′12″N94°20′29″W / 35.436547°N 94.341359°W / 35.436547; -94.341359
Built1880
Architectural style Victorian
Part of Van Buren Historic District (ID76000402)

The King Opera House is a performance hall located on Van Buren, Arkansas's Main Street. Since it was built in the late 19th century, the opera house's stage has hosted many plays and performers. The King Opera House is a contributing property to the Van Buren Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [1]

Contents

History

The Victorian-era structure first opened its doors in 1891. The ground floor was used partly as the Willard Billiard Parlor and the other half was the Wallace Saloon and Restaurant. The second floor was home to the Van Buren Press newspaper. This structure was at the time known as the "Wallace Block". In 1898, the building was purchased by Col. Henry P. King. On February 3rd, 1901, it was announced the building would be transformed into an opera house. Small storefronts remained at the front of the building, but the opera house was soon finished later that same year. The first show to be put on would be "Faust" on October 18th, 1901. The opera house would remain busy, hosting many different types of acts and sermons until 1914.

On March 14th, 1914, a fire began in a dry-cleaning storefront. The flames took over the opera house and damaged the entire interior. Despite the damage, vaudeville acts remained booked. On November 11th, 1914, it was announced the opera house would be renovated into a moving picture house. In February 1919, the remodel was finished and the doors opened as the Van Buren Theater. June 3rd, 1919, Joe Huff bought the building. In April 1920, he announced it would undergo another remodel.

By the 1930's, the building was renamed to be the Bob Burn's Theater after the famous actor and radio star of Van Buren. The front of the building remained a storefront with the top floor being an apartment. In the 1960's, Malco Theaters bought the property, but retained the name as the Bob Burn's Theater. It closed in 1974.

In 1979 it was purchased by the City of Van Buren Community Development Agency and restored to the King Opera House. Many areas of the interior, including structural beams, still retained fire damage. Much of the restoration done during this time can still be seen today. The project took place until 1991.

The City of Van Buren operated the building until 2022, when they turned over management to Arts on Main (the arts-centered nonprofit next to the building).

The auditorium of the opera house has 218 seats on the ground level, with about 96 seats in the balcony; all seats on the ground floor have an intricate, period-correct design. Built to accommodate large and well-sized performances on its stage, the opera house's basement, in contrast, has two small dressing rooms and two closets. The basement can be highly cramped in its relatively modest changing area and green room, particularly for productions with large casts.

The stage measures 28 feet wide from curtain to curtain, has a depth of 26.5 feet, and a baton height of 20 feet.

Hauntings

The King Opera house has been reported to be haunted by staff and many citizens of Van Buren. The main haunting is that of Charles Tolson. Charles C. Tolson was born on December 25th, 1868 in Mississippi. He was the manager of a stock company and a vaudeville actor. During his time as an actor, he performed at the King Opera House. After one such performance, the daughter of practitioner Dr. William Parchman reportedly went up to Tolson to speak with him about the show. A friend told Parchman his daughter and Tolson were flirting with each other during this conversation. One night while Tolson was waiting for his train at the depot, Dr. Parchman shot him multiple times.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Napa Valley Opera House</span> United States historic place

The Napa Valley Opera House is a theatre in Napa, California, it opened on February 13, 1880, with a production of Gilbert and Sullivan's HMS Pinafore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academy of Music (New York City)</span> Former opera house

The Academy of Music was a New York City opera house, located on the northeast corner of East 14th Street and Irving Place in Manhattan. The 4,000-seat hall opened on October 2, 1854. The review in The New York Times declared it to be an acoustical "triumph", but "In every other aspect ... a decided failure," complaining about the architecture, interior design and the closeness of the seating; although a follow-up several days later relented a bit, saying that the theater "looked more cheerful, and in every way more effective" than it had on opening night.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chateau Theatre</span> United States historic place

The Chateau Theatre originally opened as a Vaudeville house in Rochester, Minnesota, in 1927 with an interior decorated as a medieval village. The theater was converted to a movie house eventually remodeled and reopened as a Barnes & Noble bookstore. The Chateau was originally opened on October 26, 1927. The architects, Ellerbe, said," We have given this town the finest theater of its size, bar none, in the U.S."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perkins Opera House</span> Historic theatre in Monticello, Florida, US

The Perkins Opera House is a historic theater in Monticello, Florida, United States. It is located at the corner of Washington Street and Jefferson Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somerville Theatre</span> Independent movie theater and concert venue in Somerville, Massachusetts

The Somerville Theatre is an independent movie theater and concert venue in the Davis Square neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts, United States. Over one hundred years old, the Somerville Theatre started off as a vaudeville house and movie theater. The theater has since transitioned and now operates as a live music venue and first-run movie theater. As a music venue, the theater has played host to many historic concerts, including the first of the two Last Dispatch concerts, two shows by Bruce Springsteen in 2003, and a performance by U2 in 2009. Recent live performances have included Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, Cursive, Norah Jones, The Jonas Brothers, Joan Baez, and the John Butler Trio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown Grand Theatre</span> United States historic place

The Brown Grand Theatre is a community-based historical theatre located in Concordia, Kansas and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The theatre has been called "the most elegant theater between Kansas City and Denver" and to this day plays host to many popular events in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Theatre (Dayton, Ohio)</span>

The Victoria Theatre is a historic 1,154-seat performing arts venue located in downtown Dayton, Ohio. The Victoria hosts a variety of events including theatre, music, dance, film, and comedy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fine Arts Building (Chicago)</span> United States historic place

The ten-story Fine Arts Building, formerly known as the Studebaker Building, is located at 410 S Michigan Avenue across from Grant Park in Chicago in the Chicago Landmark Historic Michigan Boulevard District. It was built for the Studebaker company in 1884–1885 by Solon Spencer Beman, and extensively remodeled in 1898, when Beman removed the building's eighth (top) story and added three new stories. Studebaker constructed the building as a carriage sales and service operation with manufacturing on upper floors. The two granite columns at the main entrance, 3 feet 8 inches (1.12 m) in diameter and 12 feet 10 inches (3.91 m) high, were said to be the largest polished monolithic shafts in the country. The interior features Art Nouveau motifs and murals by artists such as Martha Susan Baker, Frederic Clay Bartlett, Oliver Dennett Grover, Frank Xavier Leyendecker, and Bertha Sophia Menzler-Peyton dating from the 1898 renovation. In the early 20th century, the Kalo Shop and Wilro Shop, firms owned by women and specializing in Arts and Crafts items, were established in the Fine Arts Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Opera House (Seattle)</span>

The Grand Opera House in Seattle, Washington, US, designed by Seattle architect Edwin W. Houghton, a leading designer of Pacific Northwest theaters, was once the city's leading theater. Today, only its exterior survives as the shell of a parking garage. Considered by the city's Department of Neighborhoods to be an example of Richardsonian Romanesque, the building stands just outside the northern boundary of the Pioneer Square neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramsdell Theatre</span> Historic theater in Manistee, Michigan

The Ramsdell Theatre is a historic playhouse theater building and opera house at 101 Maple Street in downtown Manistee, Michigan. The building was financed by local businessman and politician Thomas Jefferson Ramsdell and was built in 1902. It replaced the town's two previous opera houses which had been destroyed by fire, one in 1882 and the other in 1900. Besides producing plays the facility was later used as a movie theater. James Earl Jones started his acting career at the theater as an actor and stage manager.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings</span> Historic commercial buildings in Michigan, United States

The Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings, also known as the Monroe Block, is a historic district located along a block-and-a-half stretch at 16-118 Monroe Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, just off Woodward Avenue at the northern end of Campus Martius. The district was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The thirteen original buildings were built between 1852 and 1911 and ranged from two to five stories in height. The National Theatre, built in 1911, was the oldest surviving theatre in Detroit, a part of the city's original theatre district of the late 19th century, and the sole surviving structure from the original Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings historic period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheeler Opera House</span> 1887 historic building in Colorado, US

The Wheeler Opera House is located at the corner of East Hyman Avenue and South Mill Street in Aspen, Colorado, United States. It is a stone building erected during the 1890s, from a design by Willoughby J. Edbrooke that blends elements of the Romanesque Revival and Italianate architectural styles. In 1972 it became the first property in the city to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the second in Pitkin County. The upstairs auditorium hosts a number of events every year, ranging from nationally prominent music and comedy acts and some of the Aspen Music Festival's events to productions by local community groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Crump Theatre</span> United States historic place

The Crump Theatre is located in downtown Columbus, Indiana, at 425 Third Street, is part of the Columbus Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The theatre is owned by the Columbus Capital Foundation and periodically used as an event space for a variety of acts, including musicians, comedians, and paranormal investigators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Theater (Stevens Point, Wisconsin)</span> United States historic place

The Fox Theater is located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 for its architectural significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McHaffey Opera House</span> United States historic place

The McHaffey Opera House is a historic building located in Eldon, Iowa, United States. It was constructed in 1891 and in use by the community through the 1940s. The building was mainly unused for many decades until a volunteer community group bought the opera house in 1995 and began restoration efforts. The McHaffey Opera House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in November, 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martha Ellen Auditorium</span> United States historic place

The Martha Ellen Auditorium, now the State Theatre, was built 1916 in Central City, the county seat of Merrick County in the state of Nebraska in the midwestern United States. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, as a well-preserved example of a Nebraska opera house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hayford Block</span> United States historic place

The Hayford Block is a historic commercial building at 47 Church Street in downtown Belfast, Maine. Built in 1866 and enlarged in 1869, it was the first significant construction after a major fire devastated central Belfast in 1865. It is also home to Hayford Hall, an opera house that was for many years the city's major performance venue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camden Opera House Block</span> United States historic place

The Camden Opera House Block is a historic multifunction building at 29 Elm Street in the center of Camden, Maine, United States. Built in 1893 after the town's great 1892 fire, it is one of its most prominent buildings. It houses town offices, a social meeting hall, and a 500-seat theater. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyric Center for the Arts</span>

The Lyric Center for the Arts, is a historic theater in Virginia, Minnesota. The theater was originally built as a vaudeville/movie theater and opera house in 1912. Architects Franklin Ellerbe, Olin Round and William Sullivan,, designed the building in 1911. Virginia businessman, Henry Sigel commissioned the architects to design an opera house to be built on the site of the McGarry Hotel, which burned to the ground during the catastrophic fire in Virginia in 1900.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallace Block</span> United States historic place

The Wallace Block is a commercial building located at 101-113 South Ann Arbor Street in Saline, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.