Hawkinsville City Hall-Auditorium
Also known as: Old Opera House
Why it's listed
Built in 1907 at the corner of Lumpkin and Broad Streets in Hawkinsville, the Old Opera House combined a city hall with a full-scale theater. Architect W. R. Gunn of Macon and Atlanta designed a brick building with varied rooflines, a keystone entrance arch and a marble cornerstone carved like an open book. Inside are 576 seats, two balconies, a deep stage, a fly loft that holds eight sets of scenery and three tiers of dressing rooms. Before it opened, most central Georgians had to travel to Atlanta or New York to see professional theater. Touring companies played Hawkinsville, sometimes for a full week, and railroads ran excursion trains for popular shows. The hall also hosted Chautauqua programs and visiting speakers. Over time it served as a library, club house and temporary church. The building is valued as a rare, nearly unaltered example of an early twentieth-century opera house, and its plain, functional design is noted as architecturally interesting.
Significance in brief: The building brought commercial live theater, concerts and noted speakers to central Georgia, whose residents previously had to travel to Atlanta or New York. It is also a rare, nearly unaltered example of an early twentieth-century opera house. Its plain, functional design is noted as architecturally interesting.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 73000638, listed March 1, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Lumpkin and Broad Sts., Hawkinsville |
|---|---|
| County | Pulaski County |
| Listed | March 1, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73000638 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 20th Century (specific date 1907) |
| Architect / builder | W. R. Gunn, architect (of Macon and Atlanta); J. L. Huggins, general contractor |
| Areas of significance | Entertainment/Recreation, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as fair and unaltered; owned by the city and described as occupied, with plans for use as a museum and auditorium. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Hawkinsville Commercial and Industrial Historic District |
| Coordinates | 32.28278, -83.46860 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 73000638.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16892201
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.