Elks Opera House

History can be found at this link:
http://prescottelks.org/HistoryTheater.html

Actually the first silent movie shown was “Birth of a Nation" and that movie wasn't shown until 1915, not 1905.

The Cinema Arrives:
"The 1910 film masterpiece, “Birth of a Nation,” was shown at the Elks in 1915. During the silent film era the theater had a small orchestra to provide the accompanying music. By 1929 the silent movie days were over, their demise due to the Western Electric sound system. With the arrival of sound, cowboys and Indians thrilled the audience. In 1927 projection equipment was installed and replaced again in 1953. The opera seats were removed in 1943, or 1946 depending on the source, to accommodate the wide screens. The wooden rooms that remain offstage today are the smoking rooms that led into the opera boxes. In 1953 the 3-D process and Cinema-Scope enhanced the enjoyment of the moviegoer at the Elks. New projectors and Dolby sound made their debut at the Elks in December 1980. In the 1990s films are shown at the Elks only for special events like Primavera School’s foreign film and dinner fundraiser and the Prescott College Student Union’s film series".

This is a 5/5/2006 article about the Elks Theater.

This is a postcard view of Gurley Street. The Elks Theater is on the left.

This is a circa 1928 interior view and here is a view of the entrance. Date given for the second photo is 1936.

1956 photo of the Elks Opera House.
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c3%2c3%2c-1&ProductID=23316
1983 photo of the Elks Opera House.
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c3%2c3%2c-1&catpageindex=6&ProductID=23318
1983 photo of the Box Office Elsk Opera House.
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c3%2c3%2c-1&catpageindex=6&ProductID=23319