Across the street from the Hassayampa Inn, at 117 E. Gurley, sits Prescott's historic Elks Theatre and Performing Arts Center. You cannot miss it. A handsomely antlered beast stands proud on the third-floor rooftop above the entrance. Built in 1905 by Elks Lodge No. 330, five years after the Great Fire of 1900 leveled downtown, it is billed as one of the longest continuously used entertainment venues in America. Speeches, movies, plays, dances and operas have all crossed its enormous stage, and the ornate interior, with its colorful drapings and box seating, still shows what these old houses were built to be.
Is the Elks Theatre haunted?
Staff and patrons have been reporting activity here since at least the 1980s. The most persistent story centers on the women's restroom, where the stall doors, especially the center one, have been known to open and shut on their own, even when securely latched, with disembodied whispers following the startled occupant out. Lights in both restrooms turn on and off at will, especially at night. And staff cleaning up after a show have reported footsteps, whispering, even singing in the empty theatre.
The violinist of the Elks
The building's saddest story dates to the early 1900s. Professor Stanislaus Scherzel, a Russian immigrant, was hired to play violin before the evening's entertainment. Today we would probably say Scherzel struggled with depression; back then, he was simply known for his moods. On August 25, 1912, after a fight with his wife, Professor Scherzel took his own life. Because of the stigma around suicide, he was buried in an unmarked grave. In 2005, Prescott historians finally placed a plaque at his resting site that reads, in part: Violinist Extraordinaire, Elks Opera House. Some wonder whether the footsteps and the after-hours music belong to the professor, still keeping his engagement.
Questions people ask
When was the Elks Theatre built?
In 1905, by Elks Lodge No. 330, as downtown Prescott rebuilt itself after the Great Fire of 1900. It has stayed in nearly continuous use ever since.
Can you visit the Elks Theatre?
Yes. It is a working performing arts center, so the easiest way in is a ticket to a show. Daytime visitors can admire the antlered landmark from Gurley Street, a block from the courthouse plaza and the rest of historic Prescott.
Who haunts the Elks Theatre?
Nobody knows for certain. Many point to Professor Scherzel, but the restroom activity has never been pinned to a name, and a venue this old rarely gives up its secrets in one sitting.
Walk this story
The Elks sits in the middle of the most storied few blocks in Arizona's first territorial capital, steps from Whiskey Row and the Hassayampa Inn. Our Prescott ghost tour walks that ground nightly at 7 PM, $29, and the theatre's after-hours residents come up along the way. Prefer daylight and deeper history? The Prescott history tour runs daily at 10 AM, two hours, $35, and it is dog friendly.
