Arnett Theatre
216 Barnes Avenue,
Arnett,
OK
73832
216 Barnes Avenue,
Arnett,
OK
73832
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The first fire occurred on January 29, 1950 according to the Ellis County Capital. It was suggested to be rebuilt as a new “fireproof” theater, but the “fireproof” process failed as the theater was once again devastated in another fire on the evening of June 24, 1958.
The comparison between both fires is that the 1950 fire destroyed the theater entirely, and the 1958 fire heavily damaged the building and the projection booth, but the projector was not damaged at all.
The destruction of the Arnett Theatre by fire was reported in Boxoffice of March 4, 1950. The reopening was reported in the same journal’s issue of April 8, which said that the new brick building with glass tile front had been built in a record 30 days. The Arnett was still in operation at least as late as April, 1963, when manager Elben E. Ingram submitted capsule movie reviews to the April 15 issue of Boxoffice. The town then had a population of only 800.
On June 24, 1958, the Arnett Theatre was heavily damaged by a fire. It was rebuilt and reopened later on. It was still in operation in the 1960s.
The Arnett Theatre Opened Sometime In The Mid-1900’s. The Earliest Information I Can Find About The Arnett Theatre In Back When The Arnett Theatre Did A 4-Night Engagement In Mid-Late October 1909.
Fire insurance map of 1916 shows a small “moving pictures” house at the NW corner of Barnes & Washington. Approximate location of Arnett fire department.