Arts & Venues

OKLA

The 1931 OKLA Theater, being restored by a local non-profit. The lobby and gift shop are open now, with the aim of bringing the whole theater back as a working venue over the next few years.

The OKLA opened on 10 July 1931, built for $50,000 to a design by the architect W. Scott Dunne, on the site of the Palace Theatre that had burned down the previous December.

It sat closed for decades. The non-profit restoring it has finished the lobby and opened the gift shop to the public, while the rest of the building is still a construction site. Tours run by appointment, and the gift shop’s profits go straight back into the work.

The long-term aim is to bring the OKLA back as a full venue over the coming years.