It was early 1868 and Pulaski, Tennessee, had just suffered a devastating fire to the east side of its public square. While businesses began talks of rebuilding, Mr. Angenol Cox declared his plans to construct a magnificent hall. His hall would sit where a large section of buildings once stood.
His was the first building to go up after the fire. “Pulaski, Tennessee, is to have one of the largest and most magnificent halls this side of Cincinnati,” The Pulaski Citizen announced in June 1868.
The hall was completed, and on Christmas Day of 1868, the hall opened its door with a performance by the Ben Johnson Club. It was a grand day! Citizens in attendance said this of the new opera house, “This is perhaps the finest and most tastily arranged theatre in the South as the enterprising proprietor has lavished money and time in its structure and has adorned it with all the beauties and improvements of the age.”
In spring of 1869, Mr. Cox named the place Antoinette Hall after his wife. Not everyone loved the name, but it didn’t seem to affect the activities. It was booming now and became the focal point of community affairs.
Eventually, Mr. Cox moved away to the Midwest, and the opera house changed ownership. It withstood a series of highs and lows – some very high highs and some very low lows. By the early 1900s, it had finally hit its stride under the ownership of Andrew L. King and the management of A. M. Notgrass. The organization of the Little Theatre Guild brought a lot of buzz and it prospered through the roaring ‘20s.
By the late 1930s, interest in theatrical entertainment was waning, and the opera house closed its doors for good. Little did it know that it would sit empty and closed off for close to 80 years.
Check out the historical pictures provided by the STAAR Theater at Antoinette Hall. Can you still see the original building peeking through?
What’s to come of this beautiful opera house? Would you like to be a part of helping it be restored to its former glory? I’ve got the story of how it came to be rediscovered and plans for what it could be coming your way!
