Now Showing: Historic Theaters in Texas

In today's streaming era, all but lost is the romance of a night on the town, going to the opera house for a vaudeville performance, or catching a flick at the movie palace. But the blinking marquees and wrap-around neon aren't just memories. These icons of yesteryear still exist all over Texas. We've tracked down over twenty-five theaters that have reinvented themselves again and again over the last century to keep their audiences entertained.

Pictured: Ector Theater in Odessa.

Credit: Creative Commons, CinemaTreasures.org

Up on the Marquee

Live entertainment was once the main draw at theaters across the state. For example, the Paramount Theater in Austin, completed in 1915, hosted stage greats like Harry Houdini. But with the dawn of cinema, movies eclipsed an entire generation of stage entertainers, spurring an era of elaborate movie theater design.

Ornate or simple, first run films or live performances, historic theaters touch an emotional note for Texans. That’s why citizens in Wellington, Borger, Eastland, or Paris, just to name a few communities with active, restored theaters, are happy to invite you to the show.