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| The Texas Theatre in all it's glory |
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| The Texas Theatre today, all that left |
Just a few blocks west of the Majestic Theatre on Houston seat sits the odd confluence of a modern skyscraper and the a former grand movie palace. The pairing was a compromise the resulted from a battle between preservationist and progress in the 1980s
The Texas Theatre, designed by the Bollner Brothers, opened on December 18, 1926. (Remember, the first talking picture did not arrive until 1927.) One of the most important events in the history of the palace was the premiere of the film Wings, which was the first movie to win an Academy Award (see Wings — the Movie). The Texas was decorated in a wild West-rococo style and featured a plaster canopy that assisted the acoustics. The canopy, a Bollner Brothers trademark, was connected to the walls of a Spanish patio. At the center of the patio was a lone star, which stood not for Texas, but was the symbol of the Publix Theatre chain.
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| The Stage at the Texas |
The Texas also featured three balconies, the top being segregated seating. A third box office and a special concession stand were also provided for black patrons. The theatre also had a pipe organ, but it was removed from the theatre sometime around World War II. Like many other theatres of the era, its walls were adorned by murals. The Texas's walls featured the work of artist Jose Arpa.
The Texas seated over 2,700, and throughout its existence, it hosted a variety of entertainers from Bing Crosby and W C. Fields to a number of rock bands. It was one of only two Bollner Brothers fantasy-type theatres left in existence, and conservationists felt the auditorium was worth fighting for.
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| The Lobby of the Texas Theatre |
Unfortunately, the Dallas developers felt differently. Republic Bank wanted to tear down the theatre to build a block-long office plaza. Conservationists wanted the theatre to be incorporated into the design and even offered their own plans. The out-of-town bank said a huge auditorium did not fit into its vision.
The bank offered a compromise by hiring the architectural firm of Ford, Powell, and Associates who would incorporate the facade of the old theatre into the new building. The San Antonio Conservation Society offered its own solution. First, it offered $12 million to purchase the theatre. When the offer was refused, the society hired its own architect to draw up a new set of plans. The society commissioned noted preservationist Michael Graves, who designed a skyscraper that not only saved the theatre, but incorporated some of the Texas features into the new building. Once again, the Conservation Society's offer was turned down.
After a series of court battles and protests, the Texas Theatre finally was torn down. The facade was saved, but many felt the final solution was a poor compromise that served neither party's interests. The loss of the movie house has been intensified now that the other downtown theaters have been renovated.
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So sad. I agree with the opinion that "…the final solution was a poor compromise that served neither party's interests."
ReplyDeleteWhen I compare the two pictures, I can't help but think "Seriously? That was a compromise??"
My wife and I honeymooned in San Antonio in 1994. We named our language school in Japan 'Alamo' after discovering an Asian stone monument gifted to the Alamo in 1914 by Shiga Shigetaka who passed away in 1927. A famous newspaper debate in 1938 over the Sino-Japanese war between his student Yoni Noguchi and Rabindranath Tagore was symptomatic of Japan's diplomatic withdrawal and increased militarism. The choice to publicly engage Tagore in pursuit of international sympathy may have reflected the deteriorating relationship with the U.S. despite the success of citizen diplomat Shiga Shigetaka over a decade earlier. Noguchi who pursued a literary career lacked the instinct and gravitas of his former teacher Shigetaka, the popular botanist and geographer. Today I wonder if my wife had a glimpse of the Texas Theater facade topped with a mini-Alamo during our 1994 visit. While in California she painted a series of imaginative and fantastic cityscapes one of whose tall buildings was likewise crowned with an Alamo-style structure. During this period in California we pleaded to stop the airline plots which had been postponed and exposed by an accidental fire in Asia while we ran Alamo there. A chilling 10-12 plane plot was exposed which targeted flights we often took. I can't say for certain if the Texas Theater was the inspiration behind her creation but I can say that our memories our tied to the beauty of the buildings we see around us. They shape our ideas and feelings and contribute to our ability to bring the lessons from the past into the present even when thousands of miles away from us. https://www.quora.com/How-did-Prince-Blake-celebrate-the-Second-Coming-of-the-Spiral-of-Life
ReplyDeleteMy gfrndparents took me to this theather once in the late 50's. I talk about it to this day. I wanted to go back with my wife while on vacation this week only to find out it is gone.
ReplyDelete