Kirby Theatre
911 Main Street,
Houston,
TX
77002
911 Main Street,
Houston,
TX
77002
2 people
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Publix Theaters Corporation
Architects: Alfred Charles Finn
Nearby Theaters
The Kirby Theatre was opened on August 12, 1927 and named after John Henry Kirby. The Maurice Law Orchestra accompainied many of the films along with a grand theater organ often played by Julie Dawn. The projectionist was Jesse E. Hogue who was still at the helm up until the theater closed in 1970 and was demolished.
Contributed by
Luke Headley
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Recent comments (view all 11 comments)
The theater closed in the mid 1950’s and became the Houston Neiman Marcus.
The Kirby was still going strong in the mid 1950’s and was the first 3D house in Houston showing “Bhawana Junction” – a lousy movie if I do say so.
The auditorium was located in the rear section of the Kirby Bldg. and was reached from a long, narrow entrance from Main Street.
Neiman Marcus was in the adjacent building next to the Kirby.
Stan Gilmore
“Bwana Devil” was the first 3-D movie and it opened at the Kirby in the first part of 1953, having premiered in New York on 11/26/52. I WAS a lousy movie. I was told by my parents that the Kirby theater became part of the Houston Neiman Marcus. I do remember the long narrow entrance, but the same thing applied to the Metropolitan and Loews State.
‘American Theatres of Today’ Vol 1 published in 1927 gives Alfred C. Finn as the architect of the Kirby Theatre.
Information on the organ originally from this theatre can be found at:
www.wurlitzer1614.homestead.com
That must have hurt:
http://tinyurl.com/sbajw
The Kirby was a Publix Theater.
Jesse Jones, currently listed as the architect of this theater, was not an architect but a busnessman and a real estate developer. The architect of the Kirby Theatre was Alfred Charles Finn.
Interesting photo of the Kirby Theatre,any one notice it says Kirby Lumber Company on the top of the building.
When I was a growing up, back in the nineteen fifties, the Kirby Theater was famous for a big box-office robbery that took place back in the thirties or forties. Adults were still talking about this hold-up in the fifties, but I never heard all the details. It seemed to me that the Lowes, Metropolitan and Majestic got first crack at the major Studio films and the Kirby got first crack at second rate movies. I saw some of the last new Abbott and Costello comedies at the Kirby. This was after the comedy team had been replaced by Martian and Lewis and they were no longer a big draw in theaters.