Rook Theater

408 Broadway,
Cheyenne, OK 73628

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Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on March 5, 2024 at 4:33 pm

This web page has a story about a group called Friends of the Rook, who are raising funds to restore the Rook Theatre and operate it as a performance space and community event center. It says that the house was built in 1939 by Bert and Elmer Rook to replace their Lyric Theatre at another location in Cheyenne. The official opening of the Rook was April 3, 1940.

The Rook was one of the earliest theaters designed by architect Jack Corgan, of Corgan & Moore. Unfortunately a 1972 fire destroyed the original interior, and even the interior from a remodeling that year is now gone, the auditorium having been stripped to the bare walls.

kpdennis
kpdennis on January 20, 2016 at 7:41 pm

Drove through Cheyenne OK today. The Rook appears to be closed and undergoing some restoration/remodeling? New pic in Photos section, January 20, 2016.

RoadsideArchitecture.com
RoadsideArchitecture.com on February 12, 2011 at 10:16 am

I don’t know about the performing arts thing… It reopened as a video store in 2010 with movies shown on Friday and Saturday nights.

danwhitehead1
danwhitehead1 on January 15, 2011 at 1:19 pm

Correction to the above: The lady I spoke with was a granddaughter of the Rook family, not a daughter. Wrong generation on my part.

danwhitehead1
danwhitehead1 on January 15, 2011 at 11:11 am

SAT15JAN2011, 1:05P CST
Just met a lady who works at Lowe’s here in Irving, Texas . She’s a daughter of the Rooks and worked in this very theatre when she was a very young girl. She said they also had houses in Erick, Oklahoma and Gainesville, Florida.

jchapman1
jchapman1 on July 8, 2007 at 10:35 am

Rook Theatre images can be found on below website.
http://www.agilitynut.com/theatres/ok.html

brentclarkf
brentclarkf on July 21, 2005 at 4:45 pm

I’ve got some beautiful pictures of the Rook Theater which I’ll add asap. This one’s a performing arts theatre exclusively now. It’s multi-colored and very striking from the outside.

Ken Roe
Ken Roe on July 20, 2005 at 6:15 am

Listed in the Film Daily Yearbook’s 1941 and 1943 editions as having a seating capacity of 250. The 1950 edition gives a seating capacity of 288.