The Ardmore Main Street Authority is looking for your ideas — and memories.
One of its properties, the Tivoli Theater, will be available for rent in January, and the board is seeking suggestions about how to best utilize the building. At the same time, they want people to share any personal stories they have about the historic downtown landmark.
Tivoli spelled backwards is “i lov it,” which may or may not be significant.
“I believe it was named after the Tivoli Gardens (a famous amusement park in Copenhagen, Denmark),” local attorney T. Fred Collins said.
In 1916, the theater at 203 W. Main Street was called the Princess. At some point it was renamed the Tivoli.
“It started out with road shows,” Collins said. “They built a dressing room under the stage.”
“In its heyday, the Tivoli boasted luxurious draperies, ornate lighting, spacious balcony seating and many other amenities,” according to a booklet produced by the Ardmore Historic Preservation Board. “The latest releases from Hollywood were shown at the Tivoli, as well as Saturday morning serials. Ardmore’s youngsters flocked there to watch dramatic episodes that ended on a note of suspense sufficient to draw them back the following week.”
L.H. Love and T.A. Thurmond bought the Tivoli on April 19, 1924. Thurmond sold his interest in the theater to Love in 1937, and it remained in the Love family until 1999. Collins, who is married to Sarah Love Collins, helped the family find reliable tenants for the property.
The Tivoli suffered extensive damage in a 1958 fire and had to be rebuilt. The new theater was a much more plain building, lacking the ornate facade of the original. The Tivoli continued to be a popular entertainment spot for many years afterwards.
The theater closed its doors on Sept. 8, 1983, and Collins and his wife donated the building to the Ardmore Main Street Authority on Sept. 15, 1999.
The authority has leased the building to a local businessman for the past five years. The theater has hosted concerts by a number of popular performers, including Jack Ingram, Leon Russell, Ray Wylie Hubbard and Michael Martin Murphy.
“The Main Street Authority now wants to put it to the best use possible for the community,” board member Maria Wilkinson said. “We would prefer to lease it. Obviously, it’s a good performance venue. We want to hear what the community would suggest.”
Recommendations, as well as personal remembrances, may be mailed to the Ardmore Main Street Authority, 251 E. Main St., Ardmore, OK 73401 or e-mailed to mainstreet@ardmore.com.
Steve Biehn, 221-6546
steve.biehn@ardmoreite.com
