Alameda Theater
318 West Houston Street,
San Antonio,
TX
78205
318 West Houston Street,
San Antonio,
TX
78205
20 people
favorited this theater
One of the last grand movies palaces built in America. When it opened on March 9, 1949, the Alameda Theater was the largest movie palace ever dedicated to Spanish language films & the performing arts.
The theater is housed within the historic International Building which was also home to the Mexican Consulate and the first Mexican Chamber of Commerce in the U.S. Built as a symbol of greater cultural understanding and Pan-American relations. Over 1,050 pieces of cold cathode adorn the 86 foot high marquee. The interior boasts phospherescent black light murals depicting scenes from the history of Texas and Mexico, the work of interior designer Han R. Teichert. There was Altec Voice of the Theate stereo sound, Bodiform chairs, and an 18 foot performance stage. Neon lit, plexiglass murals line the walls and staircases.
Many of the greats from the golden age of Mexican cinema performed at the Alameda Theatre including: Pedro Infante, Cantinflas, Maria Felix, and Vicente Fernandez.
The theater was the winner of the most outstanding theater in the country in 1949. It lives on proudly today.
Contributed by
Sam Gorena
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Recent comments (view all 35 comments)
Here is a close-up view of the Alameda.
Alameda Theater photo
1980 Photo
1984 Photo
This is another 1984 photo.
Nice looking theatre, lots of neon on this place, looks great in the night shots.
I was in S.A. two years ago to visit my brother who moved down there and I saw this place from the outside. I would liked to gone inside. It looked good on the outside.
Just stopped by the Alameda this morning. It is still just as beautiful on the outside, but the theater seems to be at a complete standstill. It looks abandoned on the inside with no sign of any activity, let alone restoration work. In the window there is a proud “proclamation” from Ford Motor Company announcing the a “sizable” donation to the restoration cause. It is dated 2005. It looks like nothing has happened since. Does anyone have any news? I assume the lights are no longer lit.
Here is an article about the Alameda Theatre, penned by Hanns Teichert for Boxoffice of February 4, 1950. There are several photos of the theater, some on the subsequent page.
Here’s a link about the restoration of the murals: http://www.si.edu/mci/english/research/past_projects/alameda_mural.html
My father, Jose Perez del Rio, mc'ed many shows at the Alameda, including the “caravanas” with many famous actors and entertainers from Mexico. When I was about 5 years old, he lifted me in his arms and took me onstage to introduce me to the audience, who I could not see because of the footlights. I spent many hours sitting near the backstage entrance watching all those wonderful movies while my Dad prepared his work. He did many things to entertain the audience between sets, including playing the part of “Dr.I.Q” and staging vaudeville type scenarios. I am very happy the Alameda remains with us now. By the way, I too became an entertainer.