Built as a combination vaudeville theater and movie palace, the Brook Theater was opened in 1927 the same year the first talking picture The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson hit the silver screen. Even though The Brook Theater was opened at the tail
​end of an era—the arrival of talking pictures signaled the beginning of the end for vaudeville—it was home to a wide variety of acts and flourished as a regional hub of cultural activity. Headliners, including Tony Bennett and Jackie Gleason entertained packed houses, which at the time, was an 850 seat theater.  While most theaters built in that era have been demolished or converted to movie multiplexes, the Brook Arts Center remains unchanged and stands as a 1920s-era Landmark.