There's An Abandoned Arkansas Theater Hiding In Plain Sight And It's Hauntingly Beautiful
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Carol Ann Carson
Author
Arkansas has some fantastic hidden gems scattered around the state. Some require obscure directions or a long drive out to the boonies. Others, like this particular place, manage to hide in plain sight right off of Fort Smith’s busiest street. The New Theatre isn’t currently opened to the public but you can join us for a photo tour of this magnificent piece of history.
Fort Smithians may be more familiar with his other building, a small project known as Sparks Hospital.
He hired the same architect firm, the Boller Brothers of Kansas City.
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If you missed the Unexpected Project (which we'll get to later) you may have glanced at this building without a second thought.
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Tickets were a whopping $10 but the acts were worth it. George Arliss, Evelyn Nesbitt Thaw, Mary Astor and Shirley Temple were some of the performing stars.
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This Abandoned Arkansas Theatre Was Once The Showplace Of The South
The building was remodeled into a movie theater with art deco style architecture.
After new ownership, it became the only theater in Fort Smith that admitted African-Americans (this was in the midst of racial segregation). During WWII, the theater was further remodeled to add extra seating. The theater had become crowded because of all the soldiers stationed at Fort Chaffee. Later, in the 70s, the theatre became a B movie grind house and showed x-rated films.
It was later purchased by Music Fort Smith in 1992 and gutted. The group repaired the roof and exterior brick. In 1999, the New Theater was added to the National Register of historical places. New owners took over in 2004 and plan to restore the theater to its original glory.
The building was opened to the public for the first time in 30 years during the wide-scale art project. For about three weeks art enthusiasts could view Doze Green's "The Divine Sparks Project" at the theatre.
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The Unexpected project definitely put the New Theatre back on the map for Fort Smith. We look forward to hearing more news about the theater's development.
Do you remember going to the New Theatre in the 70s? Did you get to see the building during The Unexpected? Share your experience with us in the comments below!
For another abandoned tour, try this hidden hospital.
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