Broadway Theater

Opened on May 23rd, 1947 and closed 1972 (Per Cinema Houston). Grand opening ad posted.

I had first thought that the Broadway Theatre had been designed by Pettigrew & Worley, but the house was featured in an add for the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company in the March 5, 1949, issue of Boxoffice, and the text attributed the Broadway to Pettigrew, Cook & Associates.

Digging a bit more I found that John Worley had gone into the army in 1941. After the war he returned to the partnership, which had originally been formed in 1937. It appears that while Worley was away, Pettigrew had teamed up with an architect named Walter W. Cook. So far this house is the only one I’ve found that Pettigrew and Cook designed. I’ve been unable to find anything else about Walter W. Cook, though there was an architect of that name who had been active in the 1920s, but not in Texas. Perhaps he came out of retirement for the duration of the war.

I worked there for several years just before it closed as an usher. It was my first job and paid $1.00 an hour. Behind the screen there were dressing rooms. I believe it closed in the early 70s to make room for a freeway.

I spent a lot of time in and around this theatre. I attended JR Harris Elementary, around 4 blocks from there, Deady Jr. High, around 8 blocks from there and Milby High, around 2 blocks from there. I don’t remember what year it was demolished but I do remember one of the last shows I watched there was Patton. Wow, wish I had pictures. I was in ROTC at Milby and we practiced precision drill in the parking lot behind the theatre. I remember way back watching Roy Rodgers on Saturday morning mattinees, Elvis movies, Dracula even the movie where Doris Day sang “Que Sera, Sera”. Nothing there now but an end of a freeway that got caught up in politics and was never finished. Hope someone can come up with more pictures.

JeffinTX; I live in Saint Louis, MO. As far as I know, none of the folks you cite live in the Houston area but I could be wrong. I was only in Houston once, in 2005.

I am reluctant to post my email here as I had a real problem with spam some years ago, but I have a public profile on LinkedIn (I am the Christopher Walczak in Saint Louis) and if you set up a LinkedIn profile, you can ask to be connected to me.

JeffinTexas: The information comes from a variety of sources, but all of it comes from CT members. Some of us worked in these theaters or have friends and family who did. Others share their memories, personal records, and photos. Others research various online sources, newspaper archives, and the holdings of historical societies and government bureaus. We have some folks who have access to various film industry and exhibitor publications. As you read the theaters' headnotes and comments, it will become clear just how diverse the sources are, how resourceful CT members are, and how much we appreciate this site and the work of its creators and moderators.

I am sure all of us would love to have you post your photos; many CT readers and contributors look especially for photos, old advertisements and other graphical material. Just follow the site guidelines (see photos, above), being sure that you do not post copyrighted material. Photos should not be posted on a theater’s Comments page but only on its photos page, although you can post a comment that you have uploaded a picture or pictures to the photos page.

ice pitcures on the June 29,2008 post.

Anyone know about when this theater was demolished?

The Broadway was one of several post-war Houston theaters designed for the Interstate Circuit by H.F. Pettigrew and John A. Worley of the Dallas firm of Pettigrew & Worley. The very similar Santa Rosa was another.