Washita Theatre
511 Chickahsa Avenue,
Chickasha,
OK
73018
511 Chickahsa Avenue,
Chickasha,
OK
73018
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Washita Theatre (Official)
Additional Info
Architects: Jack M. Corgan, William J. Moore Jr.
Firms: Corgan & Moore
Functions: Live Theater
Styles: Streamline Moderne
Previous Names: New Washita Theatre
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The New Washita Theatre opened in 1941 with Ginger Rogers in “"Tom, Dick and Harry” & Bud Abbot & Lou Costello in “Hold That Ghost”. It replaced an original 1935 Washita Theatre which was destroyed by fire on December 27, 1939. The New Washita Theatre was designed by architects Jack M. Corgan & Williamn J. Moore Jr., it featured a round tower structure in the center of the façade which was decorated in bands of red porcelain. It had a seating capacity for 900, in orchestra and balcony levels. The Washita Theatre remained a movie house for the next sixty years, but finally closed in April 2001.
The Chickasha Community Theatre purchased the Washita Theatre in downtown Chickasha, Oklahoma and renovated and restored the theatre into a venue for their theatre productions. The group had operated since 1994 without a permanent home and the purchase of the once immensely popular movie house fulfilled their dream.
The original artwork remains although it has been covered by burlap to contain sound in the now-twinned theatre.
The balcony had been previously enclosed to form a second screen.
The transformation into a legitimate theatre was take to nearly two years (back in 2001), although this was a little optimistic, and completion came in late-2009.
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Cinema Treasures
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Recent comments (view all 12 comments)
You will most definitely want to look at these great images. Through vintage photographs the history of the Washita Theatre can be traced. It seems to have begun life as a Gothic opera house seating around 2200. Then in 1935 it received an economy Art Deco atmospheric makeover that was extremely enthusiastic. After the theatre burned on Dec. 27, 1939, it was rebuilt using zesty Southwestern streamline styling that gave the theatre an entire new character.
To view images type in word “washita” -
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A 1987 view of the Washita Theater in Chickasha here and here open and showing movies.
The Washita in 1995…
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The sign on the front of the building has been relit, so the completion of the renovation must not be too far off. Last I heard, they were projecting six months.
Here is a photo circa 1950s:
http://tinyurl.com/ybvda4d
Both recent and vintage images of the Washita Theatre can be found on this site-
http://www.roadsideoklahoma.com/node/280
Grand opening of the new Washita Theatre took place August 1, 1941 with Ginger Rogers in “Tom, Dick and Harry” with Abbott and Costello in “Hold That Ghost.”
Celebrated a transformation by Griffith Amusements to widescreen and presentation of CinemaScope films on October 23, 1954
There are two Washita Theatres in its history. Originally built as the First National building in 1913, the original Washita Theatre opened its doors on June 21, 1935 with Edmond Lowe in “The Black Sheep” along with the musical short “Star Night At The Coconut Grove” and the Terrytoon “Jack’s Shack”. It was first managed by George Limerick, and features sound installations by Western Electric.
Unfortunately on December 27, 1939, the Washita Theatre was destroyed by a fire with an estimate $50,000 in damages. Its programming immediately shifted over to the nearby Rialto.
The Washita Theatre was then rebuilt, and reopened on August 1, 1941 with Ginger Rogers in “Tom, Dick and Harry” and Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in “Hold That Ghost” along with an unknown cartoon and a newsreel plus organ music played by WKY-AM’s Ken Wright before each showing. It has an original capacity of 1,200 seats and was managed by Carl Barber.
The picture used is so terrible and low resolution that it should be deleted and replaced by something else. The old version of the 1935 photo should be junked for the same reason.