In 1982 the Opera House closed its doors after 46 years of operation as a movie theater.įortunately, the City of Sumter, in need of additional office space and hoping to attract more visitors to the downtown area, purchased the building in 1984 and began a loving and faithful restoration of the Opera House. Sadly, much of the wonderful Art Deco gold-leaf, which has since been restored by French restoration artists, was painted black or covered with black cloth. In 1973 it was officially listed on the National Register of Historical Places. Tickets to the first movie were 35 cents for adults and 10 cents for children.ĭuring its tenure as a movie theater the Opera House underwent several changes. The very first film shown at the Opera House was Earthworm Tractors. The renovations created 300 jobs for Depression-era workers and cost $120,000. In 1936 the Opera House was renovated into a movie theater. The Opera House in its present form was built from 1893-1895, following the destruction of the first Opera House in December 1892 by fire.
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