Workers at the historic Coleman Theatre in Miami, Oklahoma, on Wednesday found broken windows in the Route 66 landmark because of someone shooting a BB gun.
KOAM-TV reported:
Coleman Theatre Managing Director Shannon Duhon says the vandalism is a disgrace to a historic building that has been the crown jewel of Miami for nearly ninety years.
He says “It has stood the test of time, but unfortunately you can’t stand the test of stupidity. And that’s what you have here a random act of stupidity.”
Vandals also damaged the windows of the Miami Visitors and Convention Bureau, a barbershop and at least seven parked cars.
Miami Police Chief Thomas Anderson is hoping someone will come forward with information. He surmises the perpetrators are reckless teenagers. The police department may be contacted through its website.
The Coleman Theatre opened in 1929 as a vaudeville venue, then transitioned into a movie house. Those who have performed there over the years include Will Rogers, Tom Mix, Sally Rand, Bing Crosby, Jim Thorpe and magician Harry Blackstone. The Coleman family donated the theater to the city in 1989, and volunteers spent years painstakingly restoring it. The theater was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
(Image of the Coleman Theatre by Pete Zarria via Flickr)