Electric Theatre
16 S. Main Street,
Eureka Springs,
AR
72632
16 S. Main Street,
Eureka Springs,
AR
72632
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Additional Info
Previous Names: Opera House
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The Opera House was constructed sometime between 1886 and 1892. It was a ‘1 ½’ story wooden building, basically a very tall one-story building with room for a balcony. As built, there was a shallow one-story section across the front, but by 1909 this had been cut down to a small vestibule in the center, which supported a broad awning.
By 1914, this was shown as an ‘Electric Theatre’. It’s not clear if that’s a name or a designation. By 1923 it had closed and was converted into a church. It was demolished in the 1930’s.
The location is a parking lot. The location would have been just to the south of the small wooden building at 12 S. Main Street.
Contributed by
Seth Gaines
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Recent comments (view all 1 comments)
The 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory lists three theaters at Eureka Springs: the Best, the Wilke, and a house (possibly this one) called the Electric M. P. Parlor.
The phrase Motion Picture Parlor also occurs in connection with Eureka Springs in this item from the June 27, 1908 issue of The Billboard: “SCAGGS is manager of the S&S. L. S. & R. Amusement Co., operating the Eureka Motion Picture Parlor at Eureka Springs, Ark. He has been identified with the moving picture world for several seasons, and has operated in some of the largest cities. Mr. Skaggs is a hustler and persistent advertiser, and his motto is— ‘Nothing too good for the public.’”
The Facebook page of the Eureka Springs Historical Museum provides this post with a brief history and one interior photo of the Opera House. A bit more history is covered in some of the comments on the post. The building was converted into a church by 1923, and was either partly burned or simply dismantled for its lumber sometime in the 1930s.