Rex Theatre

Louis Santikos of the still operating Santikos Theatre Circuit started with the Rex in Waco at 405 Austin as his first opening in 1911. Santikos would divest himself of the theater in 1915 concentrating at that time distributing films in Oklahoma and Texas. The theatre becomes part of the Hulsey-Lynch Theatre Circuit thereafter. On April 10, 1920, the Washington Theatre merged with the Rex with all future Washington bookings added to the slate of Rex films. The Rex would become part of Southern Enterprises Theatre Circuit along with Waco’s Hippodrome and Victory.

The theater is then owned by Waco’s longest-standing movie theater owner in Julius A. Lemke who started the Elmo Theater in 1910 and the Crystal and Fox theaters. He takes the Rex into the sound era. After Lemke’s death in 1934, Newman Theatres acquired the theater while Lemke’s son, Carl, retained the near neighbor Crystal. Newman continues to operate the Rex for another 21 years until his new Imperial downtown theater is readied. The final shows on April 30, 1955 are “Lure of the Wilderness” and John Wayne’s “In Old California.” The theater is retrofitted for the long-standing Waco Barber College which opens in 1957.