HAMLET - EA Lackey, a local businessman and real estate developer, became interested in entertainment in Hamlet. In 1912, construction on an opera house began. Between 1912 and 1916, the opera house was finished.
The opera house featured an impressive Neo-Classical facade, the front of the building decorated with cherubs and scrolls. Across the front edge of the roof at each corner were Rococo cherubs playing the lyre and flute, with a center figure trumpeter with a horn. The opera house had a seating capacity of between 500-700 people.
The actual construction cost is unknown, but the theatre after which it was patterned cost $70,000 (which would equate to approximately $1.7 million in today's dollars).
In the late 1920s the building underwent a transformation to the Art Deco style and then operated as a movie theater until the 1970s.
Many famous people of their day preformed at the opera house including iconic Italian tenor Enrico.
Some of the largest road shows of the time also performed at the opera house; among them were Abie’s Irish Rose, Al Fields and Coburn Minstrels.
The Opera House was a popular destination for Hamlet visitors and those just passing through on the train.
The Opera House, still featuring the Art Deco style, remains on Main Street in Hamlet.
