Our Past Is Present December 18, 2018

December 18, 2018

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

            Today we will continue with the historical timeline of the Opera House and conclude this series in celebration of the 120^th Anniversary of the C.L. Hoover Opera House.

            In the 1920s the Opera House had several different names, but was at the same time referred to as the Opera House.  Two of those names were the Junction City Theater and sometimes it was referred to simply as the City Theater.

            From 1936-1941 the building was owned by the White Construction Company.  During that time –  in 1939, the City Offices were moved to the Municipal Building and the inside of the theater was remodeled to be a modern movie theater.

            From 1941-1981, Dan James with Mid-West Theatres, Inc. purchased the building and named it the Colonial Theater, where movies continued to be shown. In 1982, the Colonial closed its doors.  Fred Bramlage purchased the building and then donated the building to the City of Junction City for the purpose of establishing office space and as a site for conferences to attract people to Junction City.

From 1982 until 2008, the building stood idle until fundraising and the restoration process was completed.  The process was to be done in three phases with the first stage beginning in 1989.  The grand opening was in 2008 when there was a return to concerts, Junction City Little Theater plays and musicals, Summer Theater, concerts, candidate forums, movies and numerous performers who provided entertainment.  The Montgomery Rehearsal Hall on the second floor was made available for rehearsals, banquets, receptions and political gatherings to name a few.  We encourage you to support the events at the Opera House and see why we still say …”Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.