N.P. and J.D. Winchell contracted with architects, the Benjamin Brothers to create the new-build Colonial Theater that opened on October 9, 1913. The theater at 752 Wealthy was next door to a busy Piggly Wiggly grocery store. However, it was not able to make the conversion to the sound era.
Charles P. Dickerman opened the Madison Theater in 1916 in the Gifford Block building at 1168 Madison. If reported correctly, it reopens in a new build Madison Square facility in 1920 at 1231 Madison by the Beecher Theater, Inc. Circuit. Beecher operated the Madison, Franklin, Liberty, Biltmore and Alcazar at that time. Grovner Willer and Herbert Boshoven (later of Boshoven-Busic Theatres) take on the venue giving it a major makeover and converting it to sound to remain viable. It reopens as the “New” Madison Theater on September 5, 1931 with “Daddy Longlegs.”
In 1940, Willer and Boshoven gave the venue an even more drastic streamline moderne makeover with new-look marquee. B.K.R. Theatres with Busic and two partners takes on the venue in 1949 and then it operated by the reformulated Boshoven-Busic Circuit in the 1950s.
Joe Busic closed here on January 12, 1957 with “These Wilder Years” and “The Young Guns.” It was converted to a roller rink at a cost of $8,000 by Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Meholic opening on Feb. 7, 1957.
The Family Theatre opened October 27, 1923 with “Strangers of the Night.” It initially closed at the end of its lease on October 5, 1958 with “Tammie and the Bachelor” and “The Kettles in the Ozarks.” Williams Heidman reopened the venue on March 7, 1959 retaining the Family Theater name and policy. He closed April 30, 1961 with Disney’s Swiss Family Robinson" and a Disney cartoon festival.
As the Cinema, it showed art films beginning October 21st, 1961 . It stopped advertising some ten years later on June 19, 1971 with “Precious Jewels” and “The Fabulous Bastard from Chicago.”
The Creston started advertising in 1920 along with the adjoining Creston Candy Shop that served as the de facto concession stand for the venue. It did not close in 1959 running continuously to the adult transformation in 1973.
George C. Nichols opened the second ever movie house in Grand Rapids with the Superba Theatre in 1907. The venue had a 44 year run. Nichols would build a the Nichols Theatre (turned Uptown and Capri #1) - his first from the ground up in 1914 and the Isis Theatre (turned Center) in 1916. He also owned the Apollo, the Mystic and the Lyceum. Nichols appeared to have difficulty making sound conversions not transitioning the house to talking pictures with vaudeville on July 4, 1931.
The Superba struggled with live acts and exploitation fare until its 25-year lease expired. The next operator, Roy Taylor - of the Fulton and Southlawn theaters changed the name of the venue to the Rialto. This transition included a modern sound system by Western Electric and a Spanish Bungalow architecturally styled auditorium after a refresh. The opening of the Rialto was on September 4, 1932 with “Palmy Days” and “Midnight Morals.”
On May 19, 1948, the theater moved to a third-tier, grind house policy as the Fox Theatre with Jean Tierney in “Sundown” and Richard Dix in “Kansan.” It becomes the Fox Follies Theatre with burlesque on December 25, 1948. It reverts to the Fox Theatre but not before receiving an indecency claim for the double feature of “Souls in Pawn” and “Fools of Desire.”
The Fox lost its license in 1949 and was fined $10 but regained its license after agreeing to eliminate live burlesque acts. At that time, it is rebranded as the Art Theater on September 9, 1949 with “Stella Dallas” and “Topper.” The Art appears to have closed June 4, 1951 with “Edge of Doom” and “Tomahawk.”
Butterfield Theatre Circuit took on the Orpheum on July 3, 1929. It wired the venue to remain viable and opened on its new Kent Theatre moniker on August 29, 1929. Butterfield moved the office space from the Orpheum/Kent to the Isis so he could create improved restrooms and a mezzanine.
The Kent was closed permanently after the expiry of a 25-year lease on July 4, 1954 with “The Fighting Rats of Tobruk” and “The Bushwhackers.” The building was approved for a remodel in 1956 becoming a house of worship. That arrangement lasts exactly ten years indicating the end of another lease and the building was likely demolished.
Operators Willer and Boshoven hired architects F.P. Allen & Son to create the Our. It launched on January 22, 1929 with Jack Holt and Betty Compton in “Court Martial.” The venue closed on March 29, 1964 with a triple feature of “Pepe,” “12 to the Moon,” and “27th Day.”
In April of 1964, Civic Theater officials purchased the building for $42,000 from Willer & Boshoven. The used architect Wold & Bowers to refresh the space.
The New Galewood Theater opened on January 30, 1926 with Patsy Ruth Miller in “Loraine of Lions.” The Galewood converted to sound to remain viable. In 1955, it converted to a “wide-vision screen” to present CinemaScope titles.
The Galewood appears to have closed following the June 16, 1957 showing of Alan Ladd and Virginia Mayo in “The Big Land” with Abbott and Costello in “Dance With Me, Henry” supported by two cartoons.
The space became a roller rink in 1958, was denied conversion to a dance hall in 1963, became a church in 1965, and was approved for a printer / paint warehouse in 1968 which sounded like a fire risk. And that’s how the Galewood Theatre building met its demise.
George C. Nichols, operator of the Superba Theatre, decided to create a new theater from the ground up. The Nichols Theatre launched January 22, 1914, a 540-seat theater designed for photoplays. On July 21, 1918, the venue was renamed as the Rivoli Theatre under new operators. In 1929, the Rivoli was converted to sound to remain viable.
Frank Kleaver took on the venue and, after a refresh, it was rebranded as the Uptown Theatre on August 12, 1933 with Cary Grant in “Gambling Ship” and “Be Mine Tonight” supported by a Pathé newsreel and a Mickey Mouse Cartoon. It closed on April 3, 1960 with Vera Day in “Woman Eater” and Fred MacMurray in “Face of a Fugitive.”
It reopened as the Capri Theatre #1 on September 3, 1965 with Jayne Mansfield in the uncut version of “Promises! Promises!” The Capri closed on June 23, 1968 with Par Harrington in “Agony of Love” and “For Love or Money.” The theatre was torched early the next day permanently ending its run.
Lead Architects: Crane, Kiehler & Kellogg of Detroit. They worked in conjunction with Eastbrook Mall architect Hornbach, Steenwyk, and Thrall of Grand Rapids who were the originators of the Mall and the outparcels' original layout. Ads for the 70mm presentations of “Gone with the Wind” and “2001: A Space Odyssey” are in photos.
The theater closed as a twin at the end of a 20-year lease. It reopened as Club Eastbrook, a live concert hall from October 12, 1998 to December 1, 1993. It then became the Orbit Room on February 20, 1994. it was closed permanently 15 years later just prior to a December 31, 2018 New Year’s Eve Show due to safety concerns. It sat vacant until the former theater was demolished in 2022 and 2023.
Opened September 2, 1922 with Norma Talmade in “Smilin' Through.” It also opened with a recital on the Link organ and the venue also had a Link piano. Projectors were by Simplex. The name Elvin was a combination of Mrs. Dittrich’s “Ellen” and Mrs. Ammerman’s “Vina” - “Elvin.” The venue added sound to remain viable. It closed February 2, 1960 by Mrs. S. Howard Ammerman and Dittrich Enterprises showing “Blue Angel” and “Beloved Infidel.” The town also lost its Strand Theatre two months earlier. The building was razed in 1961 for the Midland Trust bank.
The Gayety Picture Show renamed the Gayety Theatre at 115-117 Bridge was the first African American movie theater in Waco. It opened in 1915 and was still operating in 1929 as a silent theater. The Gayety converted to sound to remain viable but was listed as closed in October 1936.
Sometime in the late 1930s – most likely 1939 – the Gem Theatre opened and was the African American Theatre of choice on the square. Its roof collapsed onto the auditorium destroying the theater space despite all four walls standing during the May 11, 1953 deadly tornado that ravaged downtown Waco. That storm also damaged the former Gayety Theatre building, as well as destroying the Joy Theatre and damaging the Fox Theater.
The Gem operators repaired and reconfigured the damaged 115-117 Bridge Street / Gayety Building. The former Gayety location comes back to life as the “New” Gem Theatre beginning Dec. 19, 1953 and advertising until January 1962. It’s likely that the theater operated through a ten-year lease until March 1963 without advertising as the theater space is offered for lease in 1964. The space was next used for the Gayety Hotel.
In 1969, the building housing the Gayety Hotel and former “New” Gem Theatre at 115-117 Bridge was marked for demolition by the Waco Urban Renewal Agency and a fire on October 28, 1969 did a great deal of the work. A second fire on August 30, 1970 completed the task as around 200 people gathered to watch the building burn. Its remnants were cleaned up not long after.
The Fox Theatre operated consecutively for 35 years opening in May of 1924 on a grind house policy playing exploitation films and third-tier double-features of Hollywood fare. It called itself the “dime theater” in its earliest days because of its ultra low admission price. Not associated with the Fox Theatre Circuit, the independent movie house was located on Waco’s Square at 105 South Third Street first advertising in 1924. However, in 1926 owner J.A. Lemke expanded the Fox and its seating into the Rosenberg Building at 103 South Street. Lemke also operated Waco’s Crystal Theater and the Palace Theatre in West, Texas.
The Fox converted to sound to remain viable on September 25, 1930 with The Marx Brothers in “The Coconuts” supported by the comedy short, “Whirls and Girls.” During its run, the theater survived a screen fire, a projection room fire, and the massive tornado of May 11, 1953 that caused death and destruction while destroying some of the 100 block of Third Street. Somehow the Fox was spared as the twister opened only a major hole in the Fox’s roof and decimated businesses
As then-owner W.R. Phillips was repairing the tornado-damaged roof, burglars went in during off-hours through the roof’s hole and stole the change from both the peanut vending machine and the penny scale. Undaunted, the Fox continued past its third decade of operation. It tried Spanish language films on weekdays in the late 1950s, exploitation films on weekends. The venue even had a brief run as the Mexico Theatre. The Fox initially closed following the Feb. 28, 1959 screenings of “The Curse of Frankenstein” and “Johnny Trouble.” Likely an end-of-lease situation and probably a 35-year run though could be longer for the Fox.
It used for non-cinematic purposes into the early 1960s. But it came back from non-cinematic operation in the 1960s before closing permanently on September 15, 1966 with a double-feature of “Yo, el Mujeriego” and “Suicidate mi Amor.” The building became home to a furniture store before an urban renewal demolition plan in the 1970s. At that point it became home to a parking lot; but the former theater’s location houses the Waco Chamber of Commerce built in 2008.
Appears to have closed June 30, 1928 likely at the end of a 10-year leasing period with Fred Thompson in “Thundering Hoofs” supported by a Jimmie Adams comedy short.
The Lake Air Mall opened theatre-less on March 16, 1961. But three years later, the mall would rectify that was General Cinema leased what would become an outparcel building behind the mall for a single screen theater. The Cinema at Lake Air Center missed its May 30, 1965 opening by five months but finally made it November 9, 1965 opening with “The Cincinnati Kid.” The theater had 822 with a 50x22 screen.
General Cinema twinned the venue on October 12th, 1977 as the GCC Lake Air Cinema I & II. On March 23, 1984, Plitt took over the Lake Air venue. Cineplex Odeon bought Plitt in December of 1985. Cineplex Odeon decided against a renewal of its 25-year lease in November of 1990 moving on from the property on November 15, 1990.
Waco’s Herman DeLeon reopened the venue after Cineplex Odeon . DeLeon relaunched November 23, 1990 as the Lake Air Cinema Dollar Movies I & II with “Flatliners” and “Postcards from the Edge.” It flatlined quickly but former Cineplex Union Projectionists reopened it on March 8, 1991 with “Ghost” and “Hunt for Red October.”
The Lake Air Cinema closed again on May 9, 1991. only to be relaunched by Arlington, Texas-based CineMagic Theatres on March 19, 1993 with a new look lobby. CineMagic vanished in June of 1998. Henry Harlow took the baton breathing life into the Lake Air until April 25, 1999 when it finally closed permanently with “A Bug’s Life” and “Prince of Egypt.” The Lake Air Cinema building joined the parking lot brigade - demolished in May and June of 2004 to make way for Target parking.
Cinemas Southwest Theatre Circuit opened the Diamond Point Theatre on September 27, 1974 with “That’s Entertainment” and “Walking Tall.” It was the first twin and the first theater built in Waco since 1965. The circuit would open the Ivy Square twin three weeks later in Baylor. The seating capacity of each Diamond Point screen was identical at 273 in the 6,500 square foot facility. Waco Mayor Oscar DuConge was there for the opening along with Z.F. Cook, head of Cinemas Southwest. Both the Diamond Point and Ivy Square theaters were automated and were originally supposed to have opened under the American Automated Theatres Circuit out of Oklahoma City.
Cinemark took on the Diamond Point as the Cinemark Diamond Point Theatres 2 on December 12, 1979. Plitt Theatres took on the location on March 14, 1980 when it purchased the Cinemark chain as it was at that point renaming here as the Diamond Point Theatre I & II. It then moved from Plitt to Cineplex Odeon when Cineplex bought Plitt in December of 1985. Cineplex renamed the venue as the Diamond Point Twin Cinemas I & II.
Carmike took over the Waco Square Six and Cinema Richland Mall 1 & 2 in 1992 leaving Cineplex with the Richland Mall 3&4 and the Diamond Point. Cineplex closed up the Diamond Point after Labor Day 1992 with the managers of the Cineplex Odeon venue taking it on independently as the Diamond Point Theatre. The independent operators closed the Diamond Point permanently on January 16, 1994 with “My Life” and “Jurassic Park.” And Cineplex Odeon had left the marketplace in July of 1993 leaving the Richland Mall 3&4 behind.
At this address was Joseph Michel’s Hall / Michel’s Hall (1907-1911), Prospect Hall (1911), Zimmerman’s Hall (1912-1914). The estate of John Frank Crawford built the Crawford likely incorporating some elements of the existing building. The new Crawford Theatre opened late in 1914 as an 800-seat movie house. Louis H. Gold of Gold Theatres took on the venue from the Crawford family in 1920 renaming it as the Treat Theatre after Newark co- founder, Robert Treat.
Gold continued it as a film theater and also converted the venue to sound to keep it viable. Orange Theatre Corp. took on the venue and sued both Brandt Circuit and Rayherstz in 1940 for antitrust violations claiming that they were denied quality second-run features (they ultimately lost the case of Orange Theatre Corp. v Rayherstz Amusement in 1943). A 1954 advertisement for a free showing of “From Here to Eternity” overwhelmed the theater. Operator Lewis Tortoriello had to call in the police and fire department to remove folks.
The Treat moved from Hollywood fare to porno chic rated “X” films in the 1970s getting charged with obscenity counts along its journey. It rebranded to the Cameo Theatre which moves from a grind policy of “X” rated films to unrated “XXX” adult films in the home video era of the 1980s ultimately operating as a twin-screen facility to its August 22, 2010 closure.
As best as can be determined, this is the timeline of this venue.
Opened as the Jobson Opera House on October 31, 1889. By 1897, Col. F.W. Blees takes over and calls it the Blees Theatre. Harry E. Logan took on the venue continuing as the Logan Theatre on August 12, 1909 with the live play, “Casino Girls” . Motion pictures were later added to the live mix with the theatre becoming primarily known for motion pictures.
This is where things become a bit tricky. The Logan goes dark late in 1918 and very briefly reopens in a new location in 1919. On October 3, 1919, the original Logan was taken over by W.D. Woods of Kansas City. The Princess Theatre launched on October 11, 1919 with “His Majesty, Bunker Bean” and listed as “formerly the Logan.” The short-lived Logan location became the original location of the Grand Theatre. The original Grand opened in July of 1919 – it, too, was also listed as “formerly the Logan.”
On January 1, 1923, the Princess under new owners relaunched as the Yale Theatre with “My Old Kentucky Home.” After closing in June of 1923, the venue relaunched under J. Earl Hayes as the Royal Theatre on August 25, 1923 likely with the film, “Wife in Name Only.” Hayes sells out to R.W. Rice after just a week. The Royal Theatre’s “ghost sign” /outside advertisement was maintained into the 21st Century.
On January 1, 1930, the theatre became the Dickinson Theatre installing RCA sound and converting the interior to a Moorish architectural design. The first film was Belle Baker in “Song of Love.” Dickinson sold his interest in the theatre and one of his employees took on the house. Under new operation, it re-launched October 28, 1936 as the long-running Macon Theatre. In 2004, the facility became live theatre opening its first season as the Maples Repertory Theatre.
That all may be incorrect but it’s the best timeline based on the local papers and the trade press.
N.P. and J.D. Winchell contracted with architects, the Benjamin Brothers to create the new-build Colonial Theater that opened on October 9, 1913. The theater at 752 Wealthy was next door to a busy Piggly Wiggly grocery store. However, it was not able to make the conversion to the sound era.
Charles P. Dickerman opened the Madison Theater in 1916 in the Gifford Block building at 1168 Madison. If reported correctly, it reopens in a new build Madison Square facility in 1920 at 1231 Madison by the Beecher Theater, Inc. Circuit. Beecher operated the Madison, Franklin, Liberty, Biltmore and Alcazar at that time. Grovner Willer and Herbert Boshoven (later of Boshoven-Busic Theatres) take on the venue giving it a major makeover and converting it to sound to remain viable. It reopens as the “New” Madison Theater on September 5, 1931 with “Daddy Longlegs.”
In 1940, Willer and Boshoven gave the venue an even more drastic streamline moderne makeover with new-look marquee. B.K.R. Theatres with Busic and two partners takes on the venue in 1949 and then it operated by the reformulated Boshoven-Busic Circuit in the 1950s.
Joe Busic closed here on January 12, 1957 with “These Wilder Years” and “The Young Guns.” It was converted to a roller rink at a cost of $8,000 by Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Meholic opening on Feb. 7, 1957.
The Family Theatre opened October 27, 1923 with “Strangers of the Night.” It initially closed at the end of its lease on October 5, 1958 with “Tammie and the Bachelor” and “The Kettles in the Ozarks.” Williams Heidman reopened the venue on March 7, 1959 retaining the Family Theater name and policy. He closed April 30, 1961 with Disney’s Swiss Family Robinson" and a Disney cartoon festival.
As the Cinema, it showed art films beginning October 21st, 1961 . It stopped advertising some ten years later on June 19, 1971 with “Precious Jewels” and “The Fabulous Bastard from Chicago.”
The Creston started advertising in 1920 along with the adjoining Creston Candy Shop that served as the de facto concession stand for the venue. It did not close in 1959 running continuously to the adult transformation in 1973.
George C. Nichols opened the second ever movie house in Grand Rapids with the Superba Theatre in 1907. The venue had a 44 year run. Nichols would build a the Nichols Theatre (turned Uptown and Capri #1) - his first from the ground up in 1914 and the Isis Theatre (turned Center) in 1916. He also owned the Apollo, the Mystic and the Lyceum. Nichols appeared to have difficulty making sound conversions not transitioning the house to talking pictures with vaudeville on July 4, 1931.
The Superba struggled with live acts and exploitation fare until its 25-year lease expired. The next operator, Roy Taylor - of the Fulton and Southlawn theaters changed the name of the venue to the Rialto. This transition included a modern sound system by Western Electric and a Spanish Bungalow architecturally styled auditorium after a refresh. The opening of the Rialto was on September 4, 1932 with “Palmy Days” and “Midnight Morals.”
On May 19, 1948, the theater moved to a third-tier, grind house policy as the Fox Theatre with Jean Tierney in “Sundown” and Richard Dix in “Kansan.” It becomes the Fox Follies Theatre with burlesque on December 25, 1948. It reverts to the Fox Theatre but not before receiving an indecency claim for the double feature of “Souls in Pawn” and “Fools of Desire.”
The Fox lost its license in 1949 and was fined $10 but regained its license after agreeing to eliminate live burlesque acts. At that time, it is rebranded as the Art Theater on September 9, 1949 with “Stella Dallas” and “Topper.” The Art appears to have closed June 4, 1951 with “Edge of Doom” and “Tomahawk.”
Appears to have thrown in the towel on January 29, 1957 after showing “Court Jester” and “Port Afrique.”
Butterfield Theatre Circuit took on the Orpheum on July 3, 1929. It wired the venue to remain viable and opened on its new Kent Theatre moniker on August 29, 1929. Butterfield moved the office space from the Orpheum/Kent to the Isis so he could create improved restrooms and a mezzanine.
The Kent was closed permanently after the expiry of a 25-year lease on July 4, 1954 with “The Fighting Rats of Tobruk” and “The Bushwhackers.” The building was approved for a remodel in 1956 becoming a house of worship. That arrangement lasts exactly ten years indicating the end of another lease and the building was likely demolished.
Operators Willer and Boshoven hired architects F.P. Allen & Son to create the Our. It launched on January 22, 1929 with Jack Holt and Betty Compton in “Court Martial.” The venue closed on March 29, 1964 with a triple feature of “Pepe,” “12 to the Moon,” and “27th Day.”
In April of 1964, Civic Theater officials purchased the building for $42,000 from Willer & Boshoven. The used architect Wold & Bowers to refresh the space.
The New Galewood Theater opened on January 30, 1926 with Patsy Ruth Miller in “Loraine of Lions.” The Galewood converted to sound to remain viable. In 1955, it converted to a “wide-vision screen” to present CinemaScope titles.
The Galewood appears to have closed following the June 16, 1957 showing of Alan Ladd and Virginia Mayo in “The Big Land” with Abbott and Costello in “Dance With Me, Henry” supported by two cartoons.
The space became a roller rink in 1958, was denied conversion to a dance hall in 1963, became a church in 1965, and was approved for a printer / paint warehouse in 1968 which sounded like a fire risk. And that’s how the Galewood Theatre building met its demise.
George C. Nichols, operator of the Superba Theatre, decided to create a new theater from the ground up. The Nichols Theatre launched January 22, 1914, a 540-seat theater designed for photoplays. On July 21, 1918, the venue was renamed as the Rivoli Theatre under new operators. In 1929, the Rivoli was converted to sound to remain viable.
Frank Kleaver took on the venue and, after a refresh, it was rebranded as the Uptown Theatre on August 12, 1933 with Cary Grant in “Gambling Ship” and “Be Mine Tonight” supported by a Pathé newsreel and a Mickey Mouse Cartoon. It closed on April 3, 1960 with Vera Day in “Woman Eater” and Fred MacMurray in “Face of a Fugitive.”
It reopened as the Capri Theatre #1 on September 3, 1965 with Jayne Mansfield in the uncut version of “Promises! Promises!” The Capri closed on June 23, 1968 with Par Harrington in “Agony of Love” and “For Love or Money.” The theatre was torched early the next day permanently ending its run.
Lead Architects: Crane, Kiehler & Kellogg of Detroit. They worked in conjunction with Eastbrook Mall architect Hornbach, Steenwyk, and Thrall of Grand Rapids who were the originators of the Mall and the outparcels' original layout. Ads for the 70mm presentations of “Gone with the Wind” and “2001: A Space Odyssey” are in photos.
The theater closed as a twin at the end of a 20-year lease. It reopened as Club Eastbrook, a live concert hall from October 12, 1998 to December 1, 1993. It then became the Orbit Room on February 20, 1994. it was closed permanently 15 years later just prior to a December 31, 2018 New Year’s Eve Show due to safety concerns. It sat vacant until the former theater was demolished in 2022 and 2023.
Opened September 2, 1922 with Norma Talmade in “Smilin' Through.” It also opened with a recital on the Link organ and the venue also had a Link piano. Projectors were by Simplex. The name Elvin was a combination of Mrs. Dittrich’s “Ellen” and Mrs. Ammerman’s “Vina” - “Elvin.” The venue added sound to remain viable. It closed February 2, 1960 by Mrs. S. Howard Ammerman and Dittrich Enterprises showing “Blue Angel” and “Beloved Infidel.” The town also lost its Strand Theatre two months earlier. The building was razed in 1961 for the Midland Trust bank.
AMC closed here following the September 22, 2024 showtimes opting not to renew its lease.
The Gayety Picture Show renamed the Gayety Theatre at 115-117 Bridge was the first African American movie theater in Waco. It opened in 1915 and was still operating in 1929 as a silent theater. The Gayety converted to sound to remain viable but was listed as closed in October 1936.
Sometime in the late 1930s – most likely 1939 – the Gem Theatre opened and was the African American Theatre of choice on the square. Its roof collapsed onto the auditorium destroying the theater space despite all four walls standing during the May 11, 1953 deadly tornado that ravaged downtown Waco. That storm also damaged the former Gayety Theatre building, as well as destroying the Joy Theatre and damaging the Fox Theater.
The Gem operators repaired and reconfigured the damaged 115-117 Bridge Street / Gayety Building. The former Gayety location comes back to life as the “New” Gem Theatre beginning Dec. 19, 1953 and advertising until January 1962. It’s likely that the theater operated through a ten-year lease until March 1963 without advertising as the theater space is offered for lease in 1964. The space was next used for the Gayety Hotel.
In 1969, the building housing the Gayety Hotel and former “New” Gem Theatre at 115-117 Bridge was marked for demolition by the Waco Urban Renewal Agency and a fire on October 28, 1969 did a great deal of the work. A second fire on August 30, 1970 completed the task as around 200 people gathered to watch the building burn. Its remnants were cleaned up not long after.
The Fox Theatre operated consecutively for 35 years opening in May of 1924 on a grind house policy playing exploitation films and third-tier double-features of Hollywood fare. It called itself the “dime theater” in its earliest days because of its ultra low admission price. Not associated with the Fox Theatre Circuit, the independent movie house was located on Waco’s Square at 105 South Third Street first advertising in 1924. However, in 1926 owner J.A. Lemke expanded the Fox and its seating into the Rosenberg Building at 103 South Street. Lemke also operated Waco’s Crystal Theater and the Palace Theatre in West, Texas.
The Fox converted to sound to remain viable on September 25, 1930 with The Marx Brothers in “The Coconuts” supported by the comedy short, “Whirls and Girls.” During its run, the theater survived a screen fire, a projection room fire, and the massive tornado of May 11, 1953 that caused death and destruction while destroying some of the 100 block of Third Street. Somehow the Fox was spared as the twister opened only a major hole in the Fox’s roof and decimated businesses
As then-owner W.R. Phillips was repairing the tornado-damaged roof, burglars went in during off-hours through the roof’s hole and stole the change from both the peanut vending machine and the penny scale. Undaunted, the Fox continued past its third decade of operation. It tried Spanish language films on weekdays in the late 1950s, exploitation films on weekends. The venue even had a brief run as the Mexico Theatre. The Fox initially closed following the Feb. 28, 1959 screenings of “The Curse of Frankenstein” and “Johnny Trouble.” Likely an end-of-lease situation and probably a 35-year run though could be longer for the Fox.
It used for non-cinematic purposes into the early 1960s. But it came back from non-cinematic operation in the 1960s before closing permanently on September 15, 1966 with a double-feature of “Yo, el Mujeriego” and “Suicidate mi Amor.” The building became home to a furniture store before an urban renewal demolition plan in the 1970s. At that point it became home to a parking lot; but the former theater’s location houses the Waco Chamber of Commerce built in 2008.
It looks like the final film was actually June 3, 1979 with “Children of Sanchez.”
Appears to have closed June 30, 1928 likely at the end of a 10-year leasing period with Fred Thompson in “Thundering Hoofs” supported by a Jimmie Adams comedy short.
The Lake Air Mall opened theatre-less on March 16, 1961. But three years later, the mall would rectify that was General Cinema leased what would become an outparcel building behind the mall for a single screen theater. The Cinema at Lake Air Center missed its May 30, 1965 opening by five months but finally made it November 9, 1965 opening with “The Cincinnati Kid.” The theater had 822 with a 50x22 screen.
General Cinema twinned the venue on October 12th, 1977 as the GCC Lake Air Cinema I & II. On March 23, 1984, Plitt took over the Lake Air venue. Cineplex Odeon bought Plitt in December of 1985. Cineplex Odeon decided against a renewal of its 25-year lease in November of 1990 moving on from the property on November 15, 1990.
Waco’s Herman DeLeon reopened the venue after Cineplex Odeon . DeLeon relaunched November 23, 1990 as the Lake Air Cinema Dollar Movies I & II with “Flatliners” and “Postcards from the Edge.” It flatlined quickly but former Cineplex Union Projectionists reopened it on March 8, 1991 with “Ghost” and “Hunt for Red October.”
The Lake Air Cinema closed again on May 9, 1991. only to be relaunched by Arlington, Texas-based CineMagic Theatres on March 19, 1993 with a new look lobby. CineMagic vanished in June of 1998. Henry Harlow took the baton breathing life into the Lake Air until April 25, 1999 when it finally closed permanently with “A Bug’s Life” and “Prince of Egypt.” The Lake Air Cinema building joined the parking lot brigade - demolished in May and June of 2004 to make way for Target parking.
Cinemas Southwest Theatre Circuit opened the Diamond Point Theatre on September 27, 1974 with “That’s Entertainment” and “Walking Tall.” It was the first twin and the first theater built in Waco since 1965. The circuit would open the Ivy Square twin three weeks later in Baylor. The seating capacity of each Diamond Point screen was identical at 273 in the 6,500 square foot facility. Waco Mayor Oscar DuConge was there for the opening along with Z.F. Cook, head of Cinemas Southwest. Both the Diamond Point and Ivy Square theaters were automated and were originally supposed to have opened under the American Automated Theatres Circuit out of Oklahoma City.
Cinemark took on the Diamond Point as the Cinemark Diamond Point Theatres 2 on December 12, 1979. Plitt Theatres took on the location on March 14, 1980 when it purchased the Cinemark chain as it was at that point renaming here as the Diamond Point Theatre I & II. It then moved from Plitt to Cineplex Odeon when Cineplex bought Plitt in December of 1985. Cineplex renamed the venue as the Diamond Point Twin Cinemas I & II.
Carmike took over the Waco Square Six and Cinema Richland Mall 1 & 2 in 1992 leaving Cineplex with the Richland Mall 3&4 and the Diamond Point. Cineplex closed up the Diamond Point after Labor Day 1992 with the managers of the Cineplex Odeon venue taking it on independently as the Diamond Point Theatre. The independent operators closed the Diamond Point permanently on January 16, 1994 with “My Life” and “Jurassic Park.” And Cineplex Odeon had left the marketplace in July of 1993 leaving the Richland Mall 3&4 behind.
Closed permanently on January 16, 1994 with “My Life” and “Jurassic Park.”
August 8, 1997 grand opening ad for the Hollywood Jewell in Waco
Closed by Lightstone Theatres as a deep discount movie house with 99 cent shows on June 6, 1982 with “Chariots of Fire.”
At this address was Joseph Michel’s Hall / Michel’s Hall (1907-1911), Prospect Hall (1911), Zimmerman’s Hall (1912-1914). The estate of John Frank Crawford built the Crawford likely incorporating some elements of the existing building. The new Crawford Theatre opened late in 1914 as an 800-seat movie house. Louis H. Gold of Gold Theatres took on the venue from the Crawford family in 1920 renaming it as the Treat Theatre after Newark co- founder, Robert Treat.
Gold continued it as a film theater and also converted the venue to sound to keep it viable. Orange Theatre Corp. took on the venue and sued both Brandt Circuit and Rayherstz in 1940 for antitrust violations claiming that they were denied quality second-run features (they ultimately lost the case of Orange Theatre Corp. v Rayherstz Amusement in 1943). A 1954 advertisement for a free showing of “From Here to Eternity” overwhelmed the theater. Operator Lewis Tortoriello had to call in the police and fire department to remove folks.
The Treat moved from Hollywood fare to porno chic rated “X” films in the 1970s getting charged with obscenity counts along its journey. It rebranded to the Cameo Theatre which moves from a grind policy of “X” rated films to unrated “XXX” adult films in the home video era of the 1980s ultimately operating as a twin-screen facility to its August 22, 2010 closure.
As best as can be determined, this is the timeline of this venue.
Opened as the Jobson Opera House on October 31, 1889. By 1897, Col. F.W. Blees takes over and calls it the Blees Theatre. Harry E. Logan took on the venue continuing as the Logan Theatre on August 12, 1909 with the live play, “Casino Girls” . Motion pictures were later added to the live mix with the theatre becoming primarily known for motion pictures.
This is where things become a bit tricky. The Logan goes dark late in 1918 and very briefly reopens in a new location in 1919. On October 3, 1919, the original Logan was taken over by W.D. Woods of Kansas City. The Princess Theatre launched on October 11, 1919 with “His Majesty, Bunker Bean” and listed as “formerly the Logan.” The short-lived Logan location became the original location of the Grand Theatre. The original Grand opened in July of 1919 – it, too, was also listed as “formerly the Logan.”
On January 1, 1923, the Princess under new owners relaunched as the Yale Theatre with “My Old Kentucky Home.” After closing in June of 1923, the venue relaunched under J. Earl Hayes as the Royal Theatre on August 25, 1923 likely with the film, “Wife in Name Only.” Hayes sells out to R.W. Rice after just a week. The Royal Theatre’s “ghost sign” /outside advertisement was maintained into the 21st Century.
On January 1, 1930, the theatre became the Dickinson Theatre installing RCA sound and converting the interior to a Moorish architectural design. The first film was Belle Baker in “Song of Love.” Dickinson sold his interest in the theatre and one of his employees took on the house. Under new operation, it re-launched October 28, 1936 as the long-running Macon Theatre. In 2004, the facility became live theatre opening its first season as the Maples Repertory Theatre.
That all may be incorrect but it’s the best timeline based on the local papers and the trade press.
Rebooted by Daniel Theater owner Daniel G. Bernstein on May 15, 1951 as the Roxy Theatre with “Kansas Riders” and “Mystery Submarine.”