Constructed in 1931, the Jewel Theater served as one of the few safe havens for Black joy, community, and entertainment in Oklahoma City’s public realm during the violent, segregationist era of Jim Crow in the south. Although the theater survived that period, and the city’s multiple urban renewal projects that took place in the 1960s through the ‘80s in the area, the ultimate displacement of thousands of residents and the decline of the neighborhood’s conditions created multiple barriers in the theater’s ability to remain open. The theater ultimately closed its doors in the late 1970s and is now structurally vulnerable – facing serious disrepair. Current owner Mr. Arthur Hurst purchased it with a promise to the original owner that he would restore it so it can operate in the community as a cultural asset once again.
It is the only building left along that stretch of NE 4th Street in the John F. Kennedy neighborhood. With the restoration and surrounding new development at Page Woodson School, the Jewel Theatre is primed for a comeback. A recent grant from the Mellon Foundation will help with structural stabilization and planning for future uses. It is also part of a Planned Unit Development with the city of Oklahoma City. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
