Opera House to change hands

If all goes according to plan, the Opera House building in downtown El Dorado Springs will belong to Brian and Lori Hansell on Friday, Oct. 4. Hansell is buying it from Greg, Davin and Troy Allison who have owned it since 2008.

When the Opera House closed as a venue for movies in 1971, the building was used for a variety of things – a hardware store, an antique shop and a flower shop. The Allisons bought it with the intent to use it as a movie theatre. They spent hours and hours restoring the theatre to what it had been (as close as possible).

The Opera House Arts Council stepped in 2012. Since that time the OHAC has planned and booked the movies, upgraded the projection equipment, cleaned the theatre after every performance and manned the concession stand.

Under the leadership of Shelley Barger, the theatre has continued to be a landmark in El Dorado Springs, inviting locals, and out of towners to enjoy one of the last free-standing theatres anywhere. (meaning it isn’t part of a multiscreen theater complex.)

And just in case you are wondering, it will continue to be. Hansell said that his wife is the one most interested in the venue and together they have big plans to enhance its already charming interior and exterior.

The last performance at the Opera house will be Oct, 7, 2024. It will close. Plans are to reopen on Nov. 1.

The Arts Council owns most of the equipment in the Opera House and has agreed to sell it to the Hansells.

The following is from Virginia Strain’s “Peek at the Past” which the Sun ran in its Centennial issue in 1981.

Where did the Opera House come from? Well, on Nov. 19, 1914, Mr. Cruce announced plans to rebuild the Cruce Block that had been destroyed by fire on Oct. 12, 1912. In this impressive structure he built an Opera House. The building it was housed in still stand today, though it no longer houses a movie theatre. It is now a hardware store.

The Opera House was a 50×75 foot structure with a seating capacity of 700 people. The main floor was 50×50 feet and contained a balcony 20×50 feet, two smaller balconies graced either side of the main floor area near the stage. The entrance was patterned after the fashion of the one on the Palace Theater and had a lobby with a colored tile floor and large plate glass windows. A popcorn and peanut concession room stood on the right side of the lobby. The theater was built of brick and steel and heated by steam. The first floor contained 350 plush opera seats and the balconies were furnished with seats bought from the Star Theater in Nevada.

F.B. Churchill was the first manager. W. gray was the second manager in 1917. On Jan. 30, 1919, Gray leased the theater to A.E. Jarboe, and the admission charge was 17 cents for adults and 10 cents for children.

On May 29, 1919, Mr. Jarboe sold out to C.A. Bessier of Cameron, along with the showing of the latest movies, the theatre was used for high school plays and the graduating class of 1924 held their Commencement exercises there. The school plays were given there until the mid 1930’s when a stage was erected in the Community Building and school plays and other school activities were moved there.

Mr. Bessier sold out to Walter Lovan in 1936. It was later run by Ray Brown and Joe Hendricks.

In 1971, the theatre closed its doors.

Hopefully, the Opera House will continue to be something beautiful, unique and joyful in El Dorado Springs.