The King Opera House is a performance hall located on Van Buren, Arkansas's Main Street. Since it was built in the late 19th century, the opera house's stage has hosted many plays and performers.

Venue: King Opera House
Address: 427 Main Street, Van Buren, AR 72956
Town: Van Buren, US

The King Opera House is a performance hall located on Van Buren, Arkansas's Main Street. Since it was built in the late 19th century, the opera house's stage has hosted many plays and performers. The King Opera House is a contributing property to the Van Buren Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Victorian-era structure first opened its doors in 1891. The ground floor was used partly as the Willard Billiard Parlor and the other half was the Wallace Saloon and Restaurant. The second floor was home to the Van Buren Press newspaper. This structure was at the time known as the "Wallace Block". In 1898, the building was purchased by Col. Henry P. King. On February 3rd, 1901, it was announced the building would be transformed into an opera house. Small storefronts remained at the front of the building, but the opera house was soon finished later that same year. The first show to be put on would be "Faust" on October 18th, 1901. The opera house would remain busy, hosting many different types of acts and sermons until 1914. On March 14th, 1914, a fire began in a dry-cleaning storefront. The flames took over the opera house and damaged the entire interior. Despite the damage, vaudeville acts remained booked. On November 11th, 1914, it was announced the opera house would be renovated into a moving picture house. In February 1919, the remodel was finished and the doors opened as the Van Buren Theater. June 3rd, 1919, Joe Huff bought the building. In April 1920, he announced it would undergo another remodel. By the 1930's, the building was renamed to be the Bob Burn's Theater after the famous actor and radio star of Van Buren. The front of the building remained a storefront with the top floor being an apartment. In the 1960's, Malco Theaters bought the property, but retained the name as the Bob Burn's Theater. It closed in 1974. In 1979 it was purchased by the City of Van Buren Community Development Agency and restored to the King Opera Hou