Mauch Chunk Opera House


The Mauch Chunk Opera House also called the Capitol Theater at one time, is a theatre in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania in the United States.
The theatre was built in 1881 by architect Addison Hutton. Officially opening in 1882 and located in what was known as millionaires row in old Mauch Chunk, as the town was then called.
Originally it was designed as a 900-seat concert hall with a farmers' market on the first floor. It was originally one of the earliest Vaudeville theaters in America. Acts appearing at the theatre included Mae West, Al Jolson, John Philip Sousa, and Eddie Foy Sr. In 1927 the theater was taken over by the Comerford Amusement chain and named after their main theater chain, the Capitol Theater.
Used as the early silent movie screen era, after the theater's decline, it was then sold in 1962 to a local purse factory for a warehouse. Then, it was abandoned and mainly used as a warehouse until 1975. In 1975 it was acquired by the newly formed Mauch Chunk Historical Society, local citizens of now incorporated Jim Thorpe, for the price of 1 dollar, who helped refurbish it. It reopened for local productions, including a "haunted theater" and holiday events. In 2003, local residents Vincent DeGiosio and Christine McGorry Degiosio, and businessman and gallery owner Daniel Hugos extensively refurbished and booked new entertainment acts for the local theater. Presently, it holds around 400 patrons.