Virtual Walking Tour of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
The Talleyrand Park Citizens Committee
Bellefonte Historical and Cultural Association

Stop 15.  Garman Opera House

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Located on East High Street on the south side of the Courthouse, next to the Garman House.  Later known as the State Theatre, it was constructed next to the Garman House in 1890.  This Theatre added another attraction to the busy world of fashion and culture. The song "After the Ball is Over" was first sung in public here.  The theatre was host to the likes of George Burns and Gracie Allen, Houdini, the Flora Dora Girls, and a myriad of Wild West and one-act shows.  In the 1900s it started showing films, first silent and then talking, but the last movie was shown in 1961.  It then became a warehouse.  It was restored in the 1990s as a stage performance center and then turned back into a movie theatre as well as performance center.  In 2006 the rear portion was expanded upwards with guest rooms and suites.  Click here for its website.  In the historic photo below, the Opera House is on the left.

Click here to view a gallery of historical images of the Garman and The Diamond

Fred D Smith Collection