By John Stapleton IV, Contributing Writer
In 1904, when the city of Broken Arrow was just 2 years old, the town’s first all-brick Opera House and special event venue was constructed in the heart of historic Main Street.
It hosted banquets, music, elections and parties. It was a town center for the roughly 2,000 residents of Broken Arrow to gather and share and build their community. And atop this bustling structure, an iconic cupola made the building a landmark.
The cupola was removed in the 1960s due to structural issues, but its memory remained in the hearts of residents, none the least of which was Dr. Clarence Oliver. Having been a denizen of Broken Arrow since 1955, Oliver spent decades envisioning a return to the structure’s original design — specifically the cupola.
In 2019, the Broken Arrow Historical Society presented Oliver — now known as “Mr Broken Arrow” — with the Historical Impact Award, and soon after, his plan to restore the Rose District’s “crown jewel” was set in motion.
The pandemic limited initial planning, but in 2023, the Broken Arrow community and city officials rallied behind Oliver’s vision, and commenced fundraising, design, and construction of the cupola, which would be placed in its original location, above what is now Main Street Tavern.
In December of 2023, being in his mid-90s, Oliver needed someone to take up the continued work of the cupola’s organization and engineering. And so “Mr. Broken Arrow” selected the “Mayor of Main Street,” Larry Pennington, to carry the mantle.
“It was an honor to be able to do this. I mean, I feel very fortunate that of all the people he could have chosen, well, I don’t know why he chose me” says Pennington. “But how do you tell Dr. Oliver no? You can’t do that. So I agreed, and at that point we started engaging the engineers and architects again.”
That passing of the torch was 2 years ago. Two years of dedicated time and money and hard work to organize collaboration with construction companies and city councils, fundraising and community support.
When asked why this project was so important, why so many Broken Arrow residents were so committed to this particular restoration, Pennington said, “Mainly Dr. Oliver. It’s a 50-year dream of his.
“I knew [the cupola] was up there. I remember seeing it. But then when you look at it without it up there, it looks naked. It looks better now.”
Pennington has a long history with Oliver — in fact, Oliver was his Sunday school teacher. So the work put into this dedication was worth it to all the teams involved in manifesting it.
“I wouldn’t have taken it over if it had been anybody other than Dr. Oliver” said Pennington.
The ceremony to commemorate the new cupola was held on Thursday, July 24, where it was covered in a tarp until the big reveal.
The tarp was lifted, and the cupola restored the building’s historic skyline. After decades of planning and organizing throughout the community, his dream was finally realized: a gift of memories and nostalgia for Broken Arrow’s century-old history, and a fitting gift of appreciation from the city of Broken Arrow to Oliver, on his 96th birthday.
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