By Jonita Mullins
In 1894, Muskogee suffered one of its many fires downtown. But as always, the merchants and businessmen of the city immediately began to rebuild. C.W. Turner, one of Muskogee’s most prominent businessmen, built a new hardware store at the corner of Main Street and Broadway. The Turner Building was one of the most substantial structures in downtown Muskogee.
What made the Turner Building so unique and such a place of importance in the life of the community was the Opera House which occupied the second floor. Muskogee had long felt a need for a large meeting hall, and Turner had met that need when he rebuilt after the 1894 fire.
The Opera House was located in the center of the second floor. The Masonic Lodge used the north end of the floor for its meetings. The theater could seat 700 people, which would have been a good percentage of Muskogee’s population at the time.
Turner spared no expense in furnishing the Opera House, and it was regularly touted as being “as fine as any theater back east.” When it opened in November of 1894, the Muskogee Phoenix stated, “Not a stage in the great cities outrivaled it in artistic beauty or in expensive luxury. The opera house is a pride to the people.”
Besides the opulent furniture, the Turner Opera House also offered its patrons electric lights and steam heat. Clarence Turner had built a small electric light plant — one of the first in Muskogee — just north of his hardware business and thus was among the first to enjoy electricity in his place of business.
The Opera House brought theater troupes from back east in addition to hosting local productions. The theater clubs at Indian University and Henry Kendall College often gave performances.
Concerts were a regular occurrence, as well as poetry readings and Chautauqua-style lectures. In fact, Muskogee enjoyed many visiting “stars” of the stage in the early days, and the Turner Opera House as the first true theater offered Muskogee a taste of elegant entertainment.
Sadly, the Opera House had a very short life span. It was destroyed by a fire in 1899. Turner rebuilt his hardware company, but did not restore the theater. By this time other theaters were being built, however, so for many years, downtown theaters made Muskogee the place for fine entertainment.
Reach Jonita Mullins at jonita@netscape.com.
