According to the Oregon Encyclopedia, John V. Houston started his opera house on Main Street in Klamath Falls in 1897. He operated it as a multipurpose event and community space for many years. The Opera House was more than a theater for film as it became the hub for the city’s arts & culture. Events such as dances, club meetings, sports events and church services were offered here. This wasn’t just a place to catch your favorite film but hypnotists, boxing matches, traveling circuses and more premiered here.
There were around 250 seats at the Houston Opera House. Although, at the peak of its success with the introduction of vaudeville performances (melodramas, minstrel shows and more), nearly 700 people were trying to squeeze into the Opera House at one point.
The most notable motion picture showings found at the Opera House include The Battle Cry of Peace and The Escape. Additionally, there were many performances of famous people at the time: Actors like Mary Pickford appeared on the big screen, screenings of D.W. Griffiths films were often features, many musicians performed… The list goes on and on.
Houston's Opera House was honored as the first theater in Klamath Falls with a Vitagraph machine. The Edison Projectoscope was used from 1901 onward, thus giving Klamath Falls and its citizens access to big titled names like Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders in Cuba. This gave this small town in Oregon a look to another place in the world, because they may never get to see it in person themselves.
J.V. Houston was often found to try new ways of advertising. He was an innovator from the very beginning.
The early 1900s weren’t shy to have their blunt racism showed. At the time, it wasn’t defined as “racism” but just as the way things were. But looking back, it is interesting to see “blackface” widely advertised and accepted.
Houston's Opera House was destroyed on Labor Day 1920, due to a building across the street (Houston Hotel) going up in flames. The fire resulted in 13 deaths and much damage to buildings on Main & 2nd street.
