In December of 1930 tragedy struck as The Palace Theater burned to the ground and took the life of the first fireman to loose his life in the line of duty in McAlester. It was immediately decided to build a new theater and on July 10th of 1931 The OKLA Theater opened its door with a showing of "The Man In Possession".
While the theater changed hands several times it served the city for 58 years providing entertainment to the citizens of McAlester. Due to declining ticket sales The Okla closed its door on September 4th of 1989. With it's closing ended an era of single screen theaters in McAlester which at one time was home to at least six other movie theaters.
In 1990 the OKLA was purchased by a non-profit with the intent of restoration however they were unable to raise the funds needed and were forced through no fault of their own to abandon the project. The majestic OKLA fell silent until 2010 when yet another non=profit stepped up and undertook the challenge of restoring the OKLA and breathing life back into the theater that had stood proudly for 58 years before falling into disrepair.
The OKLA has changed guardian ship several time since 2010 the restoration may have stalled out but has never stopped. At this point all lead-based paint and asbestos has been removed leaving the interior bare except for the sturdy ones that keep her standing proud even in the state of disrepair. The Marque once again lights above the foyer but instead of neon light it has been updated to LED lights which can be programmed to different patterns and colors. The Lobby has been restored to its former glory and proudly displays the nearly half ton projector that once showed films from a bygone era.
Steampunk Stampede is proud to showcase this very graceful and dignified lady and looks forward to seeing her fully restored.
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