Standard Theater

dallasmovietheaters on April 27, 2022 at 7:47 am

The venue was converted to a theatre and had its first grand opening as the Standard Theatre on September 8, 1888 on a 25-year lease. On what is believed to be a new 20-year lease, it had a grand reopening as the New Standard Theatre on April 21, 1913 under new, African American exclusive operation mostly staging live plays and vaudeville shows. John T. Gibson brought top acts including Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, and Ethel Waters to the Standard’s stage. Gibson also programmed the Dunbar Theatre. Gibson was financially decimated by the Great Depression selling off both of his theaters.

Under new operators, the Standard would mix film into its programming and the venue would be wired for sound becoming a full-time movie house over it final twenty years from 1934-to-1954. The Standard closed during Hurricane Hazel on October 15, 1954 when - during its final showing, Cleo Moore in “Bait” - part of the ceiling collapsed including the roof’s wood beam supports injuring two patrons. The first fifteen rows and roofline were basically destroyed in the storm that necessitated the veteran building’s demolition soon thereafter.

kencmcintyre on May 9, 2009 at 11:39 am

The Temple University site has some photos of damage to the theater after Hurricane Hazel, around 1954. If you look at the Theater of the Living Arts page, I posted the Standard photos a couple of years ago.