The Hippodrome is America's oldest standing vaudeville theater. It was built in 1915 at the corner of 8th & Ohio Street, and was designed by the famous theater architect John Eberson in the German Renaissance-Revival style. It was designed to seat a large audience of 1,000 people. It officially opened on February 15, 1915, to a large crowd that included the governor of Indiana. The theater was constructed so that performers did not need the assistance of microphones or speakers to amplify their voices. Instead, the sounds reverberated off the stage and echoed throughout the entire theater.
The Hippodrome Theater was unique compared to the other vaudeville theaters in Terre Haute at the time. The other theaters started to show actual movies, but the Hippodrome only ever showed live performances. Over the years many famous performers (magicians, musicians, television stars, etc.) came to the theater. These performances would take place twice a day, one at 2:30 PM and the other at 8:15 PM. In the late 1920s vaudeville was starting to die, and the Hippodrome in Terre Haute closed down in 1929. From 1931-1948, the building was used as the Community Theater of Terre Haute. Since 1955, the building is known as the Scottish Rite Temple. It still stands today, and it would be easy to imagine the grandeur of it as the Hippodrome Theater. Like many other things in Terre Haute, though, it has died and may never be restored to its past splendor.
The Hippodrome Theater was unique compared to the other vaudeville theaters in Terre Haute at the time. The other theaters started to show actual movies, but the Hippodrome only ever showed live performances. Over the years many famous performers (magicians, musicians, television stars, etc.) came to the theater. These performances would take place twice a day, one at 2:30 PM and the other at 8:15 PM. In the late 1920s vaudeville was starting to die, and the Hippodrome in Terre Haute closed down in 1929. From 1931-1948, the building was used as the Community Theater of Terre Haute. Since 1955, the building is known as the Scottish Rite Temple. It still stands today, and it would be easy to imagine the grandeur of it as the Hippodrome Theater. Like many other things in Terre Haute, though, it has died and may never be restored to its past splendor.
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