Royal Theater
625 Main Street,
Arkadelphia,
AR
71923
625 Main Street,
Arkadelphia,
AR
71923
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Website: http://www.ccahc.org/ Function should be art gallery.
My Dad, Robin Wightman, managed the Royal Theatre and Skyvue Drive-In in Arkadelphia prior to moving to Little Rock to manage theaters there. The Royal and Skyvue were both owned by the late Cecil Cupp, Sr. I spent the first 12 years of my life sitting in the Royal and riding go-carts and riding the pony, Skyboy, at the Skyvue. I have great memories of Arkadelphia and the Cupp family.
The correct address of the Royal Theatre is 625 Main Street.
This PDF document about downtown Arkadelphia, from Arkansas Historic Preservation, says that the rebuilt Royal Theatre was designed by Hot Springs architect Irvin B. McDaniel [sic], and that it closed as a movie theater on August 31, 1976.
The correct spelling of the architect’s name is Irven D. McDaniel. The University of Arkansas Libraries provides this page with a brief biography, but it does not mention this theater.
The Arkadelphia Arts Center was opened in this building in October, 2011. Their Facebook page says nothing about any performance space in the building, so I don’t know if it’s even equipped to show movies.
This house replaced an earlier Royal Theatre that was destroyed by fire in 1931, according to the August 9, 1931, issue of The Film Daily.