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The Enderby Opera House
was also known as the K.P. Hall and the Coliseum.
It was financed by the Sawyer Brothers but it was built by Blanchard and English. They
began building it in November and completed it in May of 1911.
The interior was a cozy, comfortable atmosphere and they could accomodate the largest
facilities in the valley. It had the capacity to seat 300 people. Like a traditional opera
house, it seated people in the balcony so that people could watch from above. The lower
floor had two rows of seats. The dressing rooms were at the rear of the stage. The general
appearance of the interior was quite lavish.
Opening night was held on October 23, 1911. The Opera House usually ran two shows a week.
These varied from plays to musicals and even local entertainment.
It was also used for Thanksgiving services or things in that manner.
The first moving picture, Uncle Tom's Cabin, was shown in the Opera House around
November 16, 1911. Starting in about January 11, 1912, there would be moving pictures
shown twice a week. The Pied Piper of Hamelin was also acted out in the Opera
House on February 24, 1921. The average admission for adults ranged from fifty cents to a
dollar, whereas children were from twenty-five cents to fifty cents. The Opera House ran
for quite a while until it was bought by the Knights of Pythias and became known as the K.P. Hall.
Anne Hirvonen
AlF School 1989