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Home » Theater Guide » Location » United States » Arkansas » Fort Smith » New Theater
Also known as Malco Theater

New Theater

Fort Smith, AR
9 N. Tenth Street
, Fort Smith, AR, United States
(map)
Status: Closed
Screens: Single Screen
Style: Art Nouveau
Function: Unknown
Seats: 800
Chain: Unknown
Architect: Unknown
Firm: Boller Brothers
New Theater
Interior view of the New Theater
Photo courtesy of the New Theater
The New Theater was built in 1911 as a vaudeville theater and its look was modeled after the famed New Amsterdam Theater in New York City. The theater attracted some of the most legendary names of the period including a then-unknown Al Jolson along with many others.

The theater later became part of the Malco chain in the late 1940s and switched to movie screenings only. It was closed around 1980 and subjected to years of neglect. After purchasing the theater, Music Fort Smith has managed to stabilize the building and the New Theater now awaits restoration.

Related Websites

The New Theater (Official)
Contributed by Cinema Treasures

YOUR COMMENTS

 
The address for the New Theatre is 9 North 10th Street.
posted by Chuck1231 on Mar 5, 2004 at 8:39pm
A photo at the website of the original entrance shows the date 1911 and "Sparks" engraved in the top of the wall. Was that the original name of the theatre? The 1932 Film Daily Year Book reports the New Theatre's seating capacity as 1,100.
posted by Warren G. Harris on Apr 2, 2004 at 9:07am
Warren, 1911 was the year the theater was built. It was built with money from the will of George Sparks who had drowned in a ship wreck off the coast of California in 1907. The theater was known as the New Theatre from 1911 until after WWII when it was taken over by the Malco chain. A new entrance was added in 1922 to the South and over that door it says Sparks 1922, but Sparks was never the name of the theater. I'm sure they did squeeze 1100 in it originally, but today you could only safely handle about 800 people. The theater was designed by the Boller brothers, early in their career.


"A photo at the website of the original
entrance shows the date 1911 and "Sparks" engraved in the top of the wall. Was that the original name of the theatre? The 1932 Film Daily Year Book reports the New Theatre's seating capacity as 1,100. "
posted by Joe Wasson on Apr 2, 2004 at 9:35am
To whom it may concern, Mr. VanBibber, or Griffin Properties, et. al.:Whomever:

I am VERY interested in helping with the opening of this space for local performances and perhaps the owners working with Roland High School in Roland, OK to bring our performances and other groups from Fort Smith and Roland to perform and help preserve the space.
I have an idea to bring over my speech students and anyone else to help with maintenence, construction, clean-up, etc...because I have a great interest in old spaces like this one and also the kids in Roland need a space to present our band concerts, plays and such, as our stage is too small and also technology is inadequate for our needs. As we are just over the river, this would help us and the theatre also...
Please contact me with where to help with this restoration! My Master's Thesis was about old theaters in Springfield, Missouri and this is very cool, so I want to help open the "New Theatre"!
Thank you,
Kevin L. Jones
klj02@uark.edu
479-649-2638
Roland High School
Route 1 Box 1
Roland, OK 74954
posted by kjones02 on Feb 3, 2005 at 7:12am
Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999

New Theatre (added 1999 - Building - #99001351)
Also known as SB0015
9 N. 10th St., Fort Smith
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Architect, builder, or engineer: Boller Brothers of Kansas City, Klaw and Erianger
Architectural Style: Beaux Arts
Area of Significance: Architecture
Period of Significance: 1900-1924, 1925-1949
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Recreation And Culture
Historic Sub-function: Theater
Current Function: Work In Progress

posted by Lost Memory on Jan 10, 2007 at 9:37am
Additional information and photos can be found here.

posted by Lost Memory on Oct 5, 2008 at 7:50pm
1982 photo of the New Theatre.
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c4%2c3%2c-1&catpageindex=9&ProductID=23385
another photo
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c4%2c3%2c-1&catpageindex=9&ProductID=23384
posted by Chuck1231 on Apr 11, 2009 at 6:02pm
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