Stillwater Opera House

In 1981, Doris Dellinger and Carol Bormann (first photograph) began a project to build a scale model of the Stillwater Opera House. They aimed to create a historically accurate replica of the Grand Opera House to preserve Stillwater’s history. They wanted the miniature to look like the Opera House when it was first built in 1900 by Louis J. Jardot and James W. Blouin.  In 2015, Barbara Mintmire took on the task of restoring the model to its former glory. The model is now on display in the lobby of the Sheerar Auditorium.

Opera House Timeline

1900 Brothers-in-law Louis J. Jardot and James W.  Blouin partnered to open Stillwater’s first opera house.  Jardot managed the construction while  Blouin financed the construction.  The building was three stories,  making it the largest building in Stillwater.

1901 The Grand Opera House opened for its first performance on July 1, on East 9th Avenue. It was the third-largest theater in Oklahoma. The Opera House was used for a large variety of events ranging from political assemblies, traveling bands, school meetings,  and both professional and locally produced plays. Carrie Nation came to speak for prohibition here, selling hatchets to raise money.

1907 marked the first “talking picture” movie shown in Stillwater;  however, movies did not become regularly shown at the Opera House until 1910 when film was more widely circulated and easier to find.

1908 The “Waving Song,” originally composed by Victor Herbert, was first performed at the Opera House for an Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College “follies” show. Since then, it has been a college tradition to play the song at athletic events.

1913 The Grand Opera House was renamed “The Hollywood.” Movies had become so popular, the owners wanted the name to reflect the cinema connection.

1919 The Hollywood Theatre was leased to J.W. Whipple and C.W. Wakefield and was renamed “Isis Theatre.”  After several years,  the name changed back to Hollywood.

1932 The last known use of The Hollywood was by the Bethel Tabernacle.

1946 The Hollywood building was purchased and turned into a furniture store. The roof was lowered at this time to conform with other surrounding buildings’ heights.

1981 Carol Bormann and Doris Dellinger began building a miniature of the Opera House. The project began in June; they finished it in September of the same year. The model was built at a half-inch to one-foot ratio. This scale was chosen so that when the model was finished it would be easily transportable, but large enough to show detail. To save on cost, they built a large portion of the furnishings themselves. The estimated cost to build the model was around $1,109 in 1981. Their degrees in Interior Design fueled their desire to be as accurate and detailed as possible.

2015 Barbara Mintmire began restoring the model to its original glory. In total Barbara spent 500 hours on the restoration.  

2017 To protect the model, Marie H. donated the funds for Justin M. to build a permanent case for the model. The model is now on display in the Sheerar Auditorium lobby.