Historical Marker Program

Brooks Opera House

Logan County
Location: at Harrison Avenue and Wentz Avenue in Guthrie
Coordinates: 35.877068, -97.424580
Material: Aluminum
Sponsor(s): Donald W. Reynolds Foundation
Topics: Arts; Early Statehood, 1907–1941; Government; Social/Cultural; Territorial Period, 1861–1907

Constructed in 1899 by owner/manager James B. Brooks, this three-story limestone opera house seated 1,100 and contained ten finely appointed private boxes. It was furnished with folding upholstered chairs, steam heat, electric lights, hot and cold water, and other amenities. The adjacent Hotel Royal contained 80 guest rooms. On November 16, 1907, Governor Charles Haskell took the oath of office as the state of Oklahoma's first governor in room 47 of the hotel. Later that day, he was sworn in again in a public ceremony on the steps of the Carnegie Library.