The Texas Theatre was an atmospheric designed inside. It had sillouettes of Spanish looking buildings all around the sides and a “sky” above. When you first went in, the “sky” would begin to darken, then turn to twilight then dark. Stars would appear and a machine called a Brenograph would project clouds across the sky. When the theatre first opened, a 2 keyboard/6 rank (72 pipes in each rank) Barton Theatre Pipe organ was installed in 1931 from the Midway Theatre down the street. The organ was finally taken out and sold to a individual and is now gone. More than 10,000 theatre organs were in theatres just in the United States alone. Now only about 200 are left in the US and most not in a theatre. Also still on the roof of the Texas is the #1 Hughes air conditioning system. It was manufactured by Howard Hughes' father’s company. Weldon Flanagan, the Palace Theatre organist for 20 years, also played the Barton in the Texas in the 1950s some. He showed the present owners where the “Spanish village” buildings were behind the stuccoed walls on the sides of the theatre. It still isn’t restored and there are more money problems. Doubtful if it will ever be a movie theatre, mostly it will be a community theatre setting, so I’ve been told.
Nettie in Dallas.
The Texas Theatre was an atmospheric designed inside. It had sillouettes of Spanish looking buildings all around the sides and a “sky” above. When you first went in, the “sky” would begin to darken, then turn to twilight then dark. Stars would appear and a machine called a Brenograph would project clouds across the sky. When the theatre first opened, a 2 keyboard/6 rank (72 pipes in each rank) Barton Theatre Pipe organ was installed in 1931 from the Midway Theatre down the street. The organ was finally taken out and sold to a individual and is now gone. More than 10,000 theatre organs were in theatres just in the United States alone. Now only about 200 are left in the US and most not in a theatre. Also still on the roof of the Texas is the #1 Hughes air conditioning system. It was manufactured by Howard Hughes' father’s company. Weldon Flanagan, the Palace Theatre organist for 20 years, also played the Barton in the Texas in the 1950s some. He showed the present owners where the “Spanish village” buildings were behind the stuccoed walls on the sides of the theatre. It still isn’t restored and there are more money problems. Doubtful if it will ever be a movie theatre, mostly it will be a community theatre setting, so I’ve been told.
Nettie in Dallas.