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This week workers have been helping preserve one of Henryetta’s iconic buildings.
The Opera House, standing at the corner of Fourth and Main since 1910, is getting a new roof. That is no easy feat since all materials have to be lifted by crane nearly five stories in the air. Add that to the summer heat, a threatening storm and some gusty winds and the work becomes draining and dangerous.
James and Tara Baker are the current owners of the towering red brick structure. They purchased it about 20 years ago.opera house
The upper floors are empty but at one time they buzzed with the noise of offices and apartment dwellers.
When it was first conceived after the turn of the last century, the building was to be a combination opera house, office and hotel.
J.W. Sullins foresaw an auditorium that would seat almost 700 people and a 60-room hotel. He actually started the project in 1909 but problems with funding delayed construction for several months.
opera nameThat finally got under way under the direction of Barclay Morgan, the general supervisor. It was going to have a 50-foot front and 140-feet long.
That construction delay forced the owners to look for temporary lodging for the entertainment venues. Part of the Parsons building was leased for the shows with a stage in the rear.
According to newspaper accounts of the times, performing troupes were delighting audiences every night of the week and scheduled a matinee on Saturday. The newspaper account said part of the entertainment would be “Hon. Campbell Russell” delivering, “one of those new Jerusalem speeches which he alone can handle.”
In an era before television, video games and even talking movies, any type of traveling entertainment was a welcome break from the daily workday grinds in the mines, smelters and other businesses.
Some of that entertainment included the 20-member Hans Hanson band and orchestra that appeared for one night only. Tickets were .35, .50 and .75 cents and even $1 for the better seats. That performance, according to the advertising of the times guaranteed, “Your money’s worth or your money back.”
Music was not the only form of entertainment. Another performance touted, “Kate the Range,” described as a four-act “strong western comedy drama.” There would be specialty performances between each of those four acts and tickets started at 25 cents and went to 50 cents.
To accommodate the curtains for the stage, a building was erected on the top of the roof. That structure has long since been lost to time but the domed roof of the auditorium can still partially be seen.
Office space in the building included professional people including lawyers and dentists as well as the Ben Hur Coal Mine.
Eventually the delights of the opera house faded with at least three movie houses opening along Main Street.
The building has still been an integral part of the Henryetta business scene. The ground floor facing Main as well as office space on the east side continue to attract customers.
There have been hardware and automotive stores including OTASCO and Western Auto, a drug store, video store, worship center and now a music store.
The Henryetta Chamber of Commerce had an office on the second floor until moving to the then-new city hall building on South Fourth. The frosted glass window bearing the chamber name is a centerpiece in the office at 415 West Main.
The rest of the upstairs is dark with the original windows stacked in an empty office and the original cherry-stained doors still partitioning off the floors.
In the style of the day, each floor had only one bathroom at the end of a long hallway.
Now on the real estate market, the building could be a renovator’s delight. Each of the top floors could be turned into loft apartments providing residents with a bird’s-eye view of Henryetta.

Views of the building interior:

doorways
fridge
office
office-door
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