Mauch Chunk Opera House

Opened on February 3, 1882, the Mauch Chunk Opera House was designed by Philadelphia architect Addison Hutton. The name of the borough of Mauch Chunk was changed to Jim Thorpe after the athlete’s 1953 death. The opera house initially housed a concert hall, originally seating over 900, on the second floor and a farmer’s market on the first floor.

On December 19, 1927, the Comerford Amusement chain took over the Mauch Chunk Opera House on a 30 years lease as a movie theatre, renaming it the Capitol Theatre. The opening movie was Mary Pickford in “My Best Girl”. Comerford operated it until April 27, 1959 when it was closed with a screening of Russ Tamblyn in “Tom Thumb”. It was taken over by volunteers and continued to operate until 1962. Afterward the building was used as a warehouse.

In 1975, the Mauch Chunk Opera House/Capitol Theatre was acquired by the Mauch Chunk Historical Society and functioned as a venue for concerts and other live entertainment as well as screenings of classic movies. By 2025 it was a concert venue.

Recent comments (view all 6 comments)

rsalters (Ron Salters) on February 22, 2012 at 10:40 am

There is an “Opera House” listed under Mauch Chunk in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. Robert Heberling was Mgr. Seating capacity not given. Tickets ranged from 25 cents to $1. The house had gas illumination. The proscenium opening was 28 feet wide X 20 feet high, and the stqge was 32 feet deep. It says that the theater was on the “first floor”. Since the building is on a slope, the stage may have been on the first floor in back, but the auditorium was on the second floor. There were 8 members of the house orchestra. There were 2 daily newspapers and 2 weeklies, and 5 hotels for show folk. The 1897 population of Mauch Chunk was 10,000.

dallasmovietheaters on May 14, 2019 at 8:05 am

Comerford Theatre Circuit took on the the theatre on a 30-year lease closing it in 1957. The theatre continued with volunteers and community leaders for the next five years.

50sSNIPES on November 5, 2021 at 2:27 pm

Its actual opening date is December 19, 1927 with Mary Pickford in “My Best Girl” along with an Our Gang short and a local community short.

50sSNIPES on July 1, 2025 at 6:03 am

The actual Mauch Chunk opening date is February 3, 1882 with a live presentation of “Edgewood Folks” by the Sol Smith Russell Company along with a speech delivered by A.W. Butler. It was originally planned to be built as a City Council building but quickly turned the idea into an Opera House.

Trolleyguy on July 1, 2025 at 7:26 am

The website lists only live performances by rockers and tribute bands. No mention of any movies, classic or otherwise.

50sSNIPES on July 14, 2025 at 8:19 am

The Capitol Theatre closed as a movie theater on April 27, 1959 with Russ Tamblyn in “Tom Thumb” because of poor attendance, and the former Capitol became a warehouse afterward. It wasn’t until December 1976 when the former Mauch Chunk building relaunched as the Mauch Chunk Opera House.