Opening of Plaza Theater - 1930

Opening of Plaza Theater - 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

KidsPalooza -2015

The all-day family event features children's concerts, games, ...

KidsPalooza

Dancers performing at KidsPalooza.

KidsPalooza

Dancers performing at the KidsPalooza in downtown El Paso, ...

KidsPalooza

8th Annual Downtown KidsPalooza! The all-day family event ...

KidsPalooza

8th Annual Downtown KidsPalooza! The all-day family event ...

KidsPalooza

Downtown KidsPalooza! The all-day family event features ...

KidsPalooza

Dancers performing at KidsPalooza --downtown El Paso, Texas.

KidsPalooza - 2015

8th Annual Downtown KidsPalooza! The all-day family event ...

KidsPalooza

Dancers performing at the KidsPalooza in downtown El Paso, ...

KidsPalooza

Dancers performing at the KidsPalooza ---downtown El Paso, ...

KidsPalooza

Join the fun at the 8th Annual Downtown KidsPalooza! The all-day ...

KidsPalooza

Dancers performing at the 8th Annual Kids

KidsPalooza

Having fun at the 8 annual KidsPalooza.

KidsPalooza

8th Annual Downtown KidsPalooza! The all-day family event ...

KidsPalooza

8th Annual Downtown KidsPalooza! The all-day family event ...

KidsPalooza

8th Annual Downtown KidsPalooza! The all-day family event ...

KidsPalooza

KidsPalooza! The all-day family event features children's ...

KidsPalooza

8th Annual Downtown KidsPalooza! The all-day family event ...

KidsPalooza

8th Annual Downtown KidsPalooza! The all-day family event ...

KidsPalooza

8th Annual Downtown KidsPalooza! The all-day family event ...

KidsPalooza -El Paso, Texas

8th Annual Downtown KidsPalooza! The all-day family event ...

KidsPalooza

8th Annual Downtown KidsPalooza! The all-day family event ...

KidsPalooza

8th Annual Downtown KidsPalooza! The all-day family event ...

home.search_collection