Thanks for the info. Since it got removed when the entry was edited, this building was constructed sometime after 1903. It seems that it was not built to be a theater, since the Theatorium moved into it.
I think we can call this demolished. It appears that some of the outer walls on the ground floor survived, but the facade is new. It was just an ugly flat fronted box with fake colonial touches. The oil company has been gone for many years, and the front has been remodeled again. The word ‘street’ is misspelled in the address.
This was a very old building. It appears on the first map of town, from 1887. It was originally known as Clark’s Hall, and has that name through the 1903 map. The 1905 Cahn guide calls it the Emporium Opera House, and gives a capacity of 800. It appears as an opera house up to the 1925 map. It’s not clear when movies began to be shown.
The February 1938 map shows it as a movie theater, and shows that the entire rear portion, which held the stage and scenery, has been removed. Before the new front was added, this was a very basic one story wooden box. It must have been fairly tall, since it had a balcony, but no height is shown on any map.
I would bet that the airdome was the nicer of the two unidentified ones. That crummy little place in the alley doesn’t seem like a professional operation.
That certainly fits with the dates of the maps. Could have begun as the Ozark, and become the Gem. As we know, there are often a lot of name changes. I didn’t have any information, but Ken often helps with an ID when I find one of these.
If it were possible, we should find every ‘contribution’ by this user and trash them. They are the worst. Every entry has made up streets, the wrong building, bad dates, etc.
I suppose this could have later become the Lyric, but there are other candidates. It would be nice if the 1923 map was available online. Should be by now, but the LoC hasn’t scanned it.
Address is wrong, there is no 160. Correct address is 128, although historically the address was 126, with 124 and 128 being small stores beside the entry.
Now a Mexican restaurant, with a tacky fake antique dryvit facade. The building is very old, appearing on the first map of town, from 1886. Still a restaurant on the 1940 map.
This may have been damaged by a tornado in May of ‘24. If anyone can confirm the building is still standing, it would be appreciated.
SethG
commented about
Theatreon
Sep 6, 2024 at 8:24 am
I do not think this was the opera house. There was one on the second floor of a building in downtown, and still operating on the 1914 map. I will add that.
By the way, the name is wrong. The APT performs at the Victory, but the name is still simply Victory. Here’s a better link, which includes some better history than the listing supplies. https://www.thevictorytheater.com/
The information in the listing is obviously bogus. There were numerous theaters in NWA before 1927, and there were at least two in Rogers before this one. The theater is currently closed for repairs due to tornado damage, and the theater company is performing elsewhere for the time being.
Not sure about the address. There is an old building at 310, and it doesn’t look like a theater. The 1914 map is the latest available, and it shows the southern half of the block as it is today. The vacant lot in the middle of the block was a large dealership. The area where 308 and 310 are today is vacant on that map. There was a large hotel on the corner where the cruddy metal shed is. 310 looks like it was cheaply built sometime before 1930 out of concrete blocks. It certainly could have fit 275 people, so it might have been converted into a small theater.
Obviously not a white brick building, but yellow, and there’s no marble. Sometime in the last 8 years or so the marquee has been replaced. I assume it’s a reproduction. The facade, which was looking pretty shabby, has been retouched, although it seems that they ‘replaced’ the missing vitrolite panels by painting the gaps black.
I think this whole listing needs to be junked, or at the very least, all of the pictures deleted and the correct address found. There are absolutely no theaters on Dickinson until the U-Ark appears on the 1948 map. If the Park ever existed, it must have been somewhere else.
The information here is incorrect, and very muddled. First, nothing can be ‘5 buildings north’ of the U-Ark on a street that runs E-W. 644 is across the street, and a bit to the east of the U-Ark. Second, this building was not built in 1930, and it was probably never a theater. The 1948 map is the first it appears on, and shows it as a bowling alley and dance hall built in 1947. The layout is identical to today’s, save for the tacky fake retro fill in the center. If there ever was a Park, it either opened much later, or it was somewhere else.
The information about the site is wrong. The sad little park is next door to the theater. It’s hard to tell under the ugly dryvit remodel, but the front of the theater building is likely still there. It’s a pizza place.
Thanks for the info. Since it got removed when the entry was edited, this building was constructed sometime after 1903. It seems that it was not built to be a theater, since the Theatorium moved into it.
This needs to be listed as demolished. The building on this site is a replacement from the late ‘30s or early '40s.
I think we can call this demolished. It appears that some of the outer walls on the ground floor survived, but the facade is new. It was just an ugly flat fronted box with fake colonial touches. The oil company has been gone for many years, and the front has been remodeled again. The word ‘street’ is misspelled in the address.
This was a very old building. It appears on the first map of town, from 1887. It was originally known as Clark’s Hall, and has that name through the 1903 map. The 1905 Cahn guide calls it the Emporium Opera House, and gives a capacity of 800. It appears as an opera house up to the 1925 map. It’s not clear when movies began to be shown.
The February 1938 map shows it as a movie theater, and shows that the entire rear portion, which held the stage and scenery, has been removed. Before the new front was added, this was a very basic one story wooden box. It must have been fairly tall, since it had a balcony, but no height is shown on any map.
I would bet that the airdome was the nicer of the two unidentified ones. That crummy little place in the alley doesn’t seem like a professional operation.
That certainly fits with the dates of the maps. Could have begun as the Ozark, and become the Gem. As we know, there are often a lot of name changes. I didn’t have any information, but Ken often helps with an ID when I find one of these.
If it were possible, we should find every ‘contribution’ by this user and trash them. They are the worst. Every entry has made up streets, the wrong building, bad dates, etc.
I suppose this could have later become the Lyric, but there are other candidates. It would be nice if the 1923 map was available online. Should be by now, but the LoC hasn’t scanned it.
That repulsive wood siding was removed around 2018, and a tile front was either revealed or applied.
Address is wrong, there is no 160. Correct address is 128, although historically the address was 126, with 124 and 128 being small stores beside the entry.
Now a Mexican restaurant, with a tacky fake antique dryvit facade. The building is very old, appearing on the first map of town, from 1886. Still a restaurant on the 1940 map.
I’ve added a photo from my visit years ago.
This may have been damaged by a tornado in May of ‘24. If anyone can confirm the building is still standing, it would be appreciated.
I do not think this was the opera house. There was one on the second floor of a building in downtown, and still operating on the 1914 map. I will add that.
Has suffered a disgusting dryvit remodel.
By the way, the name is wrong. The APT performs at the Victory, but the name is still simply Victory. Here’s a better link, which includes some better history than the listing supplies. https://www.thevictorytheater.com/
The theater is owned by the city.
The information in the listing is obviously bogus. There were numerous theaters in NWA before 1927, and there were at least two in Rogers before this one. The theater is currently closed for repairs due to tornado damage, and the theater company is performing elsewhere for the time being.
Not sure about the address. There is an old building at 310, and it doesn’t look like a theater. The 1914 map is the latest available, and it shows the southern half of the block as it is today. The vacant lot in the middle of the block was a large dealership. The area where 308 and 310 are today is vacant on that map. There was a large hotel on the corner where the cruddy metal shed is. 310 looks like it was cheaply built sometime before 1930 out of concrete blocks. It certainly could have fit 275 people, so it might have been converted into a small theater.
Note that there does not appear to be an older Lyric for this to be a ‘New’ version of.
Obviously not a white brick building, but yellow, and there’s no marble. Sometime in the last 8 years or so the marquee has been replaced. I assume it’s a reproduction. The facade, which was looking pretty shabby, has been retouched, although it seems that they ‘replaced’ the missing vitrolite panels by painting the gaps black.
I think this whole listing needs to be junked, or at the very least, all of the pictures deleted and the correct address found. There are absolutely no theaters on Dickinson until the U-Ark appears on the 1948 map. If the Park ever existed, it must have been somewhere else.
The information here is incorrect, and very muddled. First, nothing can be ‘5 buildings north’ of the U-Ark on a street that runs E-W. 644 is across the street, and a bit to the east of the U-Ark. Second, this building was not built in 1930, and it was probably never a theater. The 1948 map is the first it appears on, and shows it as a bowling alley and dance hall built in 1947. The layout is identical to today’s, save for the tacky fake retro fill in the center. If there ever was a Park, it either opened much later, or it was somewhere else.
The information about the site is wrong. The sad little park is next door to the theater. It’s hard to tell under the ugly dryvit remodel, but the front of the theater building is likely still there. It’s a pizza place.
The theater was built in 1905. The front was always offices. The auditorium has been demolished, and this has suffered a nasty dryvit remodel.
The opera house was constructed before 1892. See that listing.