Arcadia Theater

717 Water Street,
Kerrville, TX 78028

2 people favorited this theater

This wild Moderne style theater was apparently originally built in ‘Spanish’ style when it first opened in 1926. An ornate lintel is still visible over the entrance. The facade is now grey plaster with a red tile street level, and red metal strips on the upper facade. The sign is an attractive green affair, with each letter on a separate segment, topped by a stack of rings. It was recently host to a community theater group.

Contributed by Seth Gaines

Recent comments (view all 26 comments)

lostmemory on November 23, 2008 at 2:11 am

The Arcadia Theater had 851 seats in 1955. Function should be unknown.

lostmemory on April 10, 2009 at 3:57 am

This is a 2008 photo.

kencmcintyre on April 21, 2009 at 7:04 pm

Here are some 1984 photos:
http://tinyurl.com/cu6mbz
http://tinyurl.com/c6bpmn

TaliesinSoft on April 27, 2009 at 11:16 pm

I lived in Kerville as a child, ages 7 through 11, from 1942 through 1946. During those years there were two movie theaters in town, the Rialto which showed the first run films, and the Arcadia which showd the second run films. I originally paid an admission of ten cents which was increased to fourteen cents when a forty percent wartime tax was added. The Arcadia featured a Saturday matinee which was usually a cowboy film, a cartoon, a newsreel, and a segment of a serial. In both the Rialto and the Arcadia, there was always freshly popped popcorn which, if I remember correctly, was a dime for a box. There was also a good selection of nickel candies.

The Arcadia had a side door emergency exit that opened onto a sidewalk that also reached the publc (whites only) swimming pool. Many were the times when a group of us would go to the Saturday matinee, one person paying to get in and then going to that side door to let the rest of the gang in. Shame on us!

There were also the many times that I would be accompanied at the Arcadia by my dog Laddie who would sit in a seat beside me.

I have many, many fond memories of those five years in Kerrville, memories of my friends, memories of Tivy Elementary, and memories of the Guadalupe river. There are times when I think they were perhaps the best years of my life.

lostmemory on April 30, 2009 at 5:14 pm

1984 Night Photo

kencmcintyre on January 23, 2010 at 3:40 am

Here is a 1984 interior photo:
http://tinyurl.com/yewqyum

lrostochil on June 7, 2010 at 6:44 pm

Here’s a photo from around 1988:

View link

TLSLOEWS on June 7, 2010 at 7:27 pm

Nice photo Lynne.