Opera House cupola returning to Broken Arrow's Main Street

Broken Arrow is taking Main Street back in time this summer with a return to its architectural roots. The red brick building where Main Street Tavern is located originally opened as an opera house in 1904, with a grand cupola at its peak. That cupola was removed in the 1960s, but private funding is bringing it back.

Reviving the Past

The opera house was one of the first significant two-story brick buildings in the area when it was constructed in 1904, just two years after the city was incorporated.

The Opera House has served many purposes over the years. It hosted the Broken Arrow High School’s first two graduations in 1908 and 1909. The city says it also briefly served as a gym for the girls’ basketball team. In 1909, the Haskell State School of Agriculture held classes there.

“The building had dual purposes, but it was originally a location for traveling, performing artists,” said historian and former Broken Arrow Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Clarence Oliver. “It was also a location where all the major banquets and large meetings in the community were held.”

Images provided by Broken Arrow Historical Society

The building, with the Cupola attached, also served as a backdrop to a women’s suffrage march in 1914.

Removing the Cupola

Oliver says the building’s cupola was removed in the 1960s when the owner remodeled the building. He says there were concerns about leaks, and the weight of it.

“To maintain the cupola, it was going to be a tremendously expensive project that the owner hadn’t planned on,” Oliver said. “So, the easiest way to deal with it was just to take the cupola off, and that is what was done.”

Image provided by Dr. Clarence Oliver

Return of the Cupola

The new cupola, which is being built in Kentucky, is being installed in two phases. Steel support beams were placed on June 19. Those beams will be used to support the weight of the structure.

Image provided by CJC Architects, Inc.

The brick structure is scheduled to be placed on July 24. The city says the installation will impact travel in the area.