The Hawkinsville Opera House has undergone many changes since 
its construction. Through prosperous and lean times; times of 
uncertainty and calm, and through various organizational 
utilizations, it has managed to maintain the grace and style of its 
initial design. The City of Hawkinsville is lucky indeed to lay 
claim to a true piece of southern architectural history, and has 
worked hard to restore the building to its former glory.

The Beginning.....
In April of 1907, the city awarded a contract for a 
performing arts building to be constructed at a cost of 
$16,470. Noted Macon architect and theatrical designer, W.R. 
Gunn drew up the plans for a 576 seat theatre to be 
constructed in the heart of downtown Hawkinsville. The 
architect guaranteed a theatre building with perfect acoustics 
and seating arrangements, and even offered to return his 
$1,000 fee to anyone complaining of poor acoustics or an 
inability to clearly see performers on the stage during a 
production. He stated:

'No sound will ever echo on itself and no one seated in the 
auditorium will have to crane their neck to see any part of 
the 75-foot stage'......Mr. Gunn never had to return his design fee.

The auditorium, dubbed The City Auditorium, held the largest 
seating capacity of any public building in Pulaski County. 
During the first decades of operation, the Opera House was the 
host to many traveling and well known acts, and became the 
place to go for an evening out.

The Opera House was available to the public and was used for 
many other things besides a true Opera House. For example, 
the facility became a place of worship when a local church 
burned, and later pinch-hit as a movie theater when that 
business succumbed to flames in the early 1950's. 

In 1973, the Opera House was placed on the National Historic 
Register due to the forward thinking efforts of a group of local citizens.

The Old Opera House underwent a 1.7 million dollar renovation 
in the year 2000,and proudly opened with state of the art 
facilities to accommodate today's artists and performers. 
These features include new electrical, plumbing, and 
heating/air systems, as well as:
theatrical lighting, sound, and rigging systems, an elevator,
closed circuit TV in dressing rooms ,
new dressing rooms at stage level and below stage, 
presentation system with video production through DVD, VCR, or Power Point and 
meeting rooms complete with a warming kitchen. 

Today, the Old Hawkinsville Opera House is owned by the 
citizens of Hawkinsville and is operated and managed by 
non-profit Hawkinsville-Pulaski County Arts Council. We 
proudly foster talent of all genres and cultures of 
performances and entertainment, and care for a valuable piece 
of our history for all to share.

Call the Hawkinsville Pulaski County Arts Council today at 
478-783-1884 to arrange a tour for yourself, your church 
group, civic organization, or business and one of our 
volunteers will be glad to guide you on a walking tour through 
what is truly one of the great gems in the Middle Georgia 
area, the historic Old Opera House in Hawkinsville, Georgia.