From Silent Films to Blockbusters:
100 Years of Ogden’s Egyptian Theater
Exterior of the theater, circa 1920s
On July 4, 1924, Ogden celebrated the newest and fairest amusement temple- “The Egyptian Theatre.” The theater accommodated 1200 people and was finished with gold paints featuring Egyptian Gods and Goddesses and ancient Roman and Egyptian figures. Harmon Peery and Louis Peery were the owners and operators of the theater.
Exterior of the theater, circa 1920s
The theater was a demonstration theatre which meant that it secured each year the world’s premier on several outstanding Paramount productions. It was billed as the first theater with air conditioning and fire proof. The Peerys assured comfort for patrons no matter what the temperature was outside.
The theater operated well into the 1980s when it started to face pending closure. Van Summerill established the Friends of the Egyptian Theatre in 1985 to garner support to renovate and restore the building. It took over a decade to raise the funds and renovate. The newly remodeled theatre reopened to fanfare in 1997 to rival the original opening in 1924. 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the theatre.