Historical Marker

Brooks Opera House

Historical marker location:
East Harrison Avenue, Guthrie, Oklahoma
( Marker is on East Harrison Avenue east of South Division Street (U.S. 77), on the left when traveling east.)
Marker installed: 1980

Constructed in 1899 by owner/manager James B. Brooks, this three-story limestone opera house seated 1,100 and contained ten finely appointed private boxes. It was furnished with folding upholstered chairs, steam heat, electric lights, hot and cold water, and other amenities. The adjacent Hotel Royal contained 80 guest rooms. On November 16, 1907, Governor Charles Haskell took the oath of office as the state of Oklahoma's first governor in room 47 of the hotel. Later that day, he was sworn in again in a public ceremony on the steps of the Carnegie Library.