July 27, 2011

During the late nineteenth century, a number of Arkansas towns had their own opera houses. One such ornate structure on Main Street in Van Buren (Crawford County) was dedicated in 1901 (an earlier opera house in Van Buren had burned down in 1897). During its heyday, the King Opera House hosted some of the nation’s top touring stars. It underwent major restoration in the 1970s, after which it reopened as a theater in 1979. It is now a part of the Van Buren Historic District.