BARTLESVILLE, Okla. — A touch of the Southwest, the elegance of Broadway, and the charm of Oklahoma. That's what makes up the Bartlesville Community Center.
“We like to say we have something for everyone in our building,” executive director Val Callaghan said.
The Bartlesville community center opened in 1982 for $13 million, which is worth about $100 million today. That investment has stood the test of time, attracting many organizations to town.
“We have about a thousand events a year,” Callaghan said.
Everything from children's plays to major receptions featuring the likes of Robert DeNiro and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Callaghan took 2 News on a tour of the facility.
While Bartlesville is proud of the whole space, it’s the auditorium “where all the magic happens,” Callaghan said.
It has featured the likes of Kristin Chinoweth and Izhak Pearlman. A spiral ramp features all the posters of the hundreds of acts in the center’s history.
They all scheduled shows knowing it's done right.
“When [the developers] opened the building, that was one of the major concerns, was that this be artistically superb,” Callaghan said.
There is plenty of impressive architecture and tons of history, but Callaghan says the Bartlesville people make it special.
“People are still gonna say hello to you when you're walking down the street,” Callaghan said.
They hope visitors will say hello the next time they are in Bartlesville.
Callaghan said this time of the year is the busy season. She told 2 News they will have an event almost daily through Christmas.
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