Opening of Plaza Theater in 1930

Opening of Plaza Theater in 1930

A huge crowd accompanied the opening of the Plaza Theater on September 12, 1930. Designed as a modern film house with the flexibility of presenting stage shows, the Plaza eventually hosted popular traveling shows and movies. Its size (capacity of 2,410), elaborate decor, and technical innovations made it stand out: While the exterior facade was designed to be reminiscent of a Spanish mission-style parapet, patrons were awed by the interior, with its intricately painted ceilings, mosaic-tiled floors, decorative metal railings and sconces and antique furnishings (Spanish Colonial Revival style). Additionally, the Plaza offered electrically cooled drinking fountains, a nursery, a $850 marble and brass telecheck system that alert ushers when a seat became vacant, and a Brenograph machine that could throw over a thousand color effects onto the black-and-white scenes. However, in the 1950s, the Theater's patronage declined and by the 1970s it was sold. In the 1980s, the El Paso Community Foundation saved the Plaza from demolition and donated it to the City of El Paso in 1990. After, it was restored to its original splendor and today hosts concerts, shows, musicals and plays once again.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: C.L. Sonnichsen Special Collections, University of Texas at El Paso Library. Collection Name: Plaza Theater. Photo ID: Plaza Theater.jpg.

Uploaded by: UTEP Library Special Collections

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Report this entry

Choose the most important reason for this report

Your name

Your email address

Optional detail

Thank you for your report

More from the same community-collection

Jennifer Han & Liliana Martinez Title Fight - 2016

Jennifer Han at the weigh - in - downtown El Paso, Texas. Weigh ...

Jennifer Han & Liliana Martinez Title Fight - 2016

Jennifer Han at the weigh - in - downtown El Paso, Texas. Weigh ...

Jennifer Han & Liliana Martinez Title Fight - 2016

Jennifer Han at the weigh - in - downtown El Paso, Texas. Weigh ...

Jennifer Han & Liliana Martinez Title Fight - 2016

Jennifer Han & Liliana Martinez Title Fight - 2016 Weigh - in ...

Jennifer Han & Liliana Martinez Title Fight - 2016

Jennifer Han & Liliana Martinez Title Fight - 2016 Weigh - in ...

Jennifer Han & Liliana Martinez Title Fight - 2016

Weigh - in took place at El Camino Real Hotel - downtown El ...

Jennifer Han Weigh - In - 2016

Jennifer Han & Liliana Martinez Title Fight - 2016. Weigh - in ...

Jennifer Han & Louie Burke - 2016

Louie Burke and Jennifer Han at the weigh - in - El Paso, Texas. ...

Bill Knight & Lester Bedford - 2016

Bill Knight and Lester Bedford at the weigh -in El Paso, Texas. ...

Jennifer Han & Liliana Martinez Title Fight - 2016

Jennifer Han & Liliana Martinez during the weigh - in before the ...

Jennifer Han & Liliana Martinez Title Fight - 2016

Jennifer Han & Liliana Martinez during the weigh - in before the ...

Jennifer Han & Liliana Martinez Title Fight - 2016

Jennifer Han & Liliana Martinez during the weigh - in before the ...

Jennifer Han & Liliana Martinez Title Fight - 2016

Jennifer Han & Liliana Martinez during the weigh - in before the ...

Jennifer Han & Liliana Martinez Title Fight - 2016

Jennifer Han & Liliana Martinez during the weigh - in before the ...

Jennifer Han Weigh - In- 2016 - Video

Jennifer Han & Liliana Martinez during the weigh - in before the ...

Knights of Columbus Parade - 1902

Knights of Columbus parade - downtown El Paso, Texas 1902.

Fernandez family out about

Ivette Angela Victoria and Tony - El Paso Museum of History.

Fernandez family out about

Sister and brother - at the El Paso Museum of History.

Fernandez family out about

Tony and Vicky Fernandez - at the El Paso Museum of History, ...

Fernandez family out about

Angela Fernandez - El Paso Museum of History.

Fernandez family out about

Kid learning about El Paso - at the El Paso Museum of History ...

Fernandez family out about

Victoria Fernandez in front of the digital wall - downtown El ...

Digital Wall - 2015

Photograph of the digital wall in front of the El Paso Museum of ...

home.search_collection