Our Past Is Present April 3, 2018

April 3, 2018

            This is “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.

            We have been sharing information about the process of restoring the C.L. Hoover Opera House for several weeks.  Today, time will be spent sharing more history about the “Gem on the Prairie” prior to the restoration project.

            The Junction City Opera House and City Office/Fire Station Building opened in January 1882, originally a stately red brick structure featuring a tall pointed four-faced clock tower.

In January, 1898, the building burned, totally destroying the south portion containing the Opera House.  The 820 seat Opera House was rebuilt the same year using native limestone taken from quarries near Fort Riley.  The city building portion was retained and restructured with similar brick and the entire building was re-roofed in slate.  The Opera House proper included a balcony, dress circle and parquet with frescoed and painted walls and six private boxes decorated with draperies, carpets and cane chairs.

            In 1918, silent movies made their first appearance at the Opera House although it continued to function primarily as a legitimate theater.  In 1919, the Opera House was converted to solely movie presentation and operated as the City Theater, under private management.  In 1939, the City Offices vacated the north portion of the building and moved into the existing Municipal Building across the street on Jefferson Street.  The entire building was then gutted and remodeled into a “modern” movie theater, later known as the “Colonial Theater.” 

            In 1982, the Colonial Theater closed it’s doors. If you have been reading recent Tuesday blogs in which we shared information about the restoration efforts to return the Opera House to being the showplace that it is, you know there was a long struggle to get that project completed.  It took a vision, diligence, patience, fundraising and most of all people working together to provide a quality performance area for quality programs and shows, which has improved the quality of life in Junction City. 

Here are just a few of those who worked so hard on that restoration project: The City of Junction City, The Junction City Opera House Foundation and the Junction City Little Theater Foundation. Thanks to those and many others for their work.

And… that’s today’s story on “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.