Wyatt Theater

The Wyatt Opera House opened in 1904 at the northwest corner of Colton Avenue and Orange Street. The theater was completed through the joint efforts of the Redlands Chamber of Commerce, which raised $20,000 toward the project, and Henry (Harry) Clay Wyatt of Los Angeles who invested $15,000 of his own. Wyatt, a booking agent for the Academy of Music, promised an attractive theater with a seating capacity of 1000, an ambitious size for a community of about 4000. Wyatt made several other demands of the Chamber and a compromise was reached when Wyatt agreed to pay the taxes, insurance, upkeep, interest on the Chamber’s investment. For his part, Wyatt retained a five-year lease on the building, rent from a main floor store, and inclusion in the Southern California theatrical circuit.

The theater’s opening took place on November 5, 1904 with the Ben Greet Players production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night featuring Sydney Greenstreet as Malvolio. Although not a sell-out, the production was met with enthusiasm and an opening night party held for the audience and performers at the nearby Casa Loma Hotel fueled interest for future presentations. The Wyatt Opera House played host to performances alternating from the popular to the cultured; minstrels, troubadours, and vaudevillians followed the operas Faust and Don Cesar de Bazan. By the end of the 1905 season a note appeared touting that “…the management can put up the sign, ‘Standing Room Only,’ with absolute truth.”1

The trouble that would beset the Wyatt Opera House came early. During construction the theater seats had been “lost” in transit, arriving just before opening night, and in August 1905 the sentiment of the note became action. B.T. Underwood, a representative of the Western School Supply Company, was arrested for breaking into the theater and attempting to repossess the unpaid-for seats. Western School Supply contended that the Redlands Improvement Company (and John E. Light, the majority stockholder) defaulted on payment for the seats. Light counter-sued Underwood for $1400 in damages, plus malicious mischief. At the same time Frank P. Morrison, who held the trust deed on the theater, stepped in with an injunction against Western School Supply, Redlands Improvement, John Light, and Henry Wyatt preventing the removal of any other furnishings.

Meanwhile, the Opera House was facing the prospect of being removed from the circuit by Henry Wyatt. Even with positive reviews of their inaugural season and growing interest in their offerings, the Wyatt Opera House could not cover the expenses of premier touring companies. Direct competition came from the moving pictures at the Contemporary Club or an Elks Lodge-produced operetta at the University Club. The Opera House maintained its connection to the community by hosting the 1907 Redlands High School graduation ceremony, and continuing the Spinet concert series. By 1908 the Wyatt Opera House was confronted with the possible future as a rooming house until William F. Holt stepped in and purchased the building. On New Year’s Day in 1909, Holt returned Uncle Tom’s Cabin to the Wyatt stage for the admission prices of 25 to 75 cents. However, the prospect of live theater was quashed by the flickering screen at the Empire Theater, which offered four films for a dime. During the ownership transitions, Henry Wyatt focused his attention on the Mason Theater in Los Angeles, which he managed until his death in 1910.

Frank C. Nye purchased the Wyatt Opera House in September 1910 and the highlight of his ownership came the following year. The 60th birthday of Japanese Emperor Matsuhito was celebrated at the Opera House and hosted by the San Bernardino County Japanese Society. However, the event did little to turn the Opera House’s prospects. By 1913 the theater had fallen into foreclosure and on August 1st, William L. Olmstead purchased the property.

By 1919 the fate of the Opera House became the focus of discussion among city leaders. A special commission was appointed and Herbert A. Hargraves, chairman, reported that two mortgages, unpaid taxes, penalties, and a lawsuit which attached the property placed the financial future of the Opera House in question. Any financial solution was further complicated by the physical condition of the theater, and at the time repairs were estimated at $2000 to $3000.

By December 1928 the amenities of the Opera House were obsolete and the precarious building was permanently closed. In 1929 the Wyatt Opera House was demolished.

1 Nelson, Lawrence Emerson. Only One Redlands. 1963.

Nelson, Lawrence Emerson. Only One Redlands. 1963.

Accessed August 11th 2020. https://www.newspapers.com/image/654840774/?terms=wyatt%2Btheater.

Nelson, Lawrence E. Hinckley, Edith Parker. History of Redlands and Prospect Park. 1969.

Accessed August 11th 2020. http://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/4693.

Accessed August 11th 2020. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/33181330/henry-clay-wyatt.

Accessed August 11th 2020. https://www.dailynews.com/2013/08/03/100-years-ago-in-redlands-2.

Accessed August 11th 2020. https://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/2019/10/11/100-years-ago-in-redlands-redlands-considers-what-to-do-with-its-wyatt-opera-house/.

Golden Jubilee, Redlands, California 1888-1938. Redlands, CA. Citrograph Printing Co., 1938.