Rex Theatre

The Rex Airdome Theater was not the first outdoor theatre in town to play films. That honor went to the Lyric Airdome which played films in 1907 in the Alamo Plaza. But the Rex Airdome Theatre was open to all races. It relied on its West San Antonio, Gardendale neighborhood to draw audiences of lower income working class immigrants and persons of color. Such audiences had few available options to segregated theatre, the bulk of which were a distance off in downtown San Antonio.

As a lesser-considered outdoor venue, the Rex Airdome Theatre was still able to get solid second-run films and a cadre of audience members - many who were more fluent in Spanish than English - who could learn even more English watching the films. The Rex Airdome Theatre was challenged by the African American operated Ritz Theatre (former Royal Theatre/Leon Theatre) (It has its own page on Cinema Treasures) which installed air conditioning, in the 1950’s as well as the downtown Cameo Theatre by the established Bijou Amusement Circuit which more aggressively marketed in the African American newspaper during the 1950s.

But for ease of location, the Rex Airdome Theatre had the advantage and likely had no leasing concerns. Television, theatre air conditioning, and reliance on cars allowing folks to go to the many area drive-in theatres led to the end of the Rex Airdome Theater; but it had served its purpose in late-1940’s and 1950’s west San Antonio providing inexpensive entertainment to vastly underserved audiences.

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