Texan Theater
812 Capitol Street,
Houston,
TX
77002
812 Capitol Street,
Houston,
TX
77002
2 people
favorited this theater
The Texan Theater owned by Will Horwitz opened on April 4, 1925 with Marion Davies in “Janice Meredith”. In the early-1930’s, Horwitz was planning to air-condition his three vaudeville/movie theaters located in downtown Houston. The three theaters were the Iris, the Uptown and the Texan Theaters.
Realizing that his air-conditioning project would require excavating the basements under the three theaters, Horwitz decided to connect them with a tunnel. The tunnel became part of Horwitz’s “Uptown Center Project”, which included shops and restaurants upstairs and a penny arcade and a German wine tavern downstairs. Horwitz died in 1941.
The Texan Theater was closed September 8, 1953 and was demolished. By the late-1960’s the tunnels were also demolished.
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Lost Memory
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Recent comments (view all 13 comments)
The Texan Theater’s grand opening was at 2 p.m. on April 4, 1925. The first movie to play there was “Janice Meredith” by Cosmopolitan Pictures. According to that day’s Houston Post-Dispatch, the theater featured an orchestra pit, Texas history photos in the foyer, and a children’s nursery in the basement. Actor J. Warren Kerrigan was slated to be present at the opening.
The architects for this theater were Henry F. Jonas and Tabor. The building contractor was J.B. Townsend.
Open house on last day: article with photo of the Texan Theatre in Boxoffice magazine, September 19, 1953:
View link
In Don Lewis'1937 photo of the box-office I believe the man on the right was singer/moviestar “TEX RITTER”.John Ritters father.The other two are still unknown characters to me anyway.Thanks for the boxfiice article Gerald.
By the way the other two look like they are theatre employees,maybe the manager and usherette?
Thanks Don love all your theatre photos.
According to an ad in the opening day’s Houston Post-Dispatch from the Baldwin Music Shop, the Texan was equipped with a Baldwin piano “which will be used exclusively in broadcasting.”
From 1937 a photo of Tex Ritter at the box office of the Texan Theater in Houston.
Will Horwitz was an operating partner of Interstate Amusements a Paramount affiliate!
Linkrot repair: The September 19, 1953, Boxoffice article about Will Horwitz and the Texan Theatre, to which Gerald A. DeLuca linked on June 27, 2010, can now be found at this link. It notes that the last movies at the Texan had been shown on September 8. The theater was still successful, but had lost its lease. It was demolished to make way for the new home of the Houston Club.