Ogden's 1924 Egyptian Revival movie palace is said to be haunted by Allison, a carpenter's daughter who fell from scaffolding during construction—her ghost reported at the piano and in the back rows.
2415 Washington Blvd, Ogden, UT 84401
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Ticket prices vary by performance; see website for current schedule
Access
Wheelchair OK
Flat theater floor with accessible seating areas
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1924 · National Register of Historic Places (1978) · Atmospheric movie palace, Egyptian Revival architecture · 1997 full restoration
The Egyptian Theater was built in 1923 and 1924 at a time when atmospheric movie palaces were the dominant entertainment architecture in American cities. The Ogden project, designed by architects Leslie S. Hodgson, Myrl A. McClenahan, and F. Berne, took Egyptian Revival as its theme—a popular choice in the early 1920s following global fascination with Egyptian archaeology. The building opened July 3, 1924, seating approximately 1,200 patrons at an original cost of $250,000.
Twentieth Century-Fox incorporated the theater in 1935, expanding the marquee and renovating the lobby. Fox continued updates in 1951 before a 1961 remodel reduced capacity to 850 and introduced new décor. The theater closed in 1984 due to health code violations. A complete restoration project reopened the building on January 17, 1997, returning it to a version of its original appearance. A Wurlitzer pipe organ was reinstalled in 2004. The theater holds a National Register of Historic Places designation, listed since 1978.
Today the Egyptian Theater Foundation operates the building on behalf of Weber County and Ogden City as a performing arts center and film venue. The restored interior retains its Egyptian-themed decorative program—hieroglyphic details, columns, and period light fixtures—throughout the auditorium and lobby.
Sources
The Allison legend is specific about its origin: a carpenter working on the theater's 1923 construction had a daughter who would bring his lunch to the site. During one of these visits, she fell from scaffolding and died. Her name in local tradition is Allison, though no historical documentation of the incident or the family has surfaced in publicly available records.
The haunting reports place Allison in two locations. She is said to appear in the rear seating area—historically the section where mothers took infants during performances, called Allison's box in local ghost lore. She is also reported at the theater's piano: staff describe the instrument playing when no one is present, and employees returning to a quiet theater have documented the sound of keys. The lights in the building are said to turn off without cause, attributed to Allison in staff accounts.
A more specific report circulates among employees: chairs in Allison's section of the seating area are regularly arranged neatly at closing, only to be found disturbed and rearranged the following morning. The Ogden ghost tour circuit, documented on Visit Ogden's official tourism site and in Standard-Examiner coverage, includes the Egyptian Theater as a regular stop, with guides presenting the Allison story as part of the 25th Street walking route.
The legend has been retold in Visit Utah's myths and legends series and is embedded in Ogden's paranormal tourism identity. The sensitivity note from the discovery record flags the minor-victim dimension; the story is presented here without graphic detail, in keeping with the site's dignity standards.
Notable Entities
Ogden ghost tours regularly include Peery's Egyptian Theater as a stop on 25th Street walking routes, covering the Allison legend and the theater's construction history. Check visitogden.com for current tour operators.
The Egyptian Theater hosts live performances, film screenings, and events throughout the year. The haunted section associated with Allison—the rear seating area near what was historically a mothers' box—is visible to any performance attendee. Built in 1924, the theater was restored in 1997 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Park City, UT
The Egyptian Theatre opened on Christmas Day 1926 at 328 Main Street, built on the site of the Dewey Theatre, which had collapsed under a snow load in January 1916. Its Egyptian Revival decoration followed the 1922 discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. It is now the Mary G. Steiner Egyptian Theatre, owned by a preservation foundation and operated as a year-round performing-arts venue and a Sundance Film Festival site.
Jonesboro, AR
Built in 1926 as the Strand Theatre, the Forum Theatre has operated as a downtown Jonesboro performance venue for nearly a century. The Foundation of Arts, a non-profit arts organization, has managed it for decades and continues to produce community theater and musical productions.
Tuscaloosa, AL
Rowand-Johnson Hall houses the University of Alabama's Department of Theatre and Dance and contains the Marian Gallaway Theatre, named for the professor who built the department from 1948 until her retirement in 1973.