Majestic Theatre (Dallas) facts for kids
Majestic Theatre
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| Address | 1925 Elm St. Dallas, Texas United States |
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| Coordinates | 32°47′1″N 96°47′40″W / 32.78361°N 96.79444°W |
| Owner | City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture |
| Operator | City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture |
| Type | Theatre |
| Capacity | 1,704 |
| Acreage | less than one acre |
| Screens | 1 |
| Current use | Performing Arts Center |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1921 |
| Opened | April 11, 1921 |
| Years active | 1921-1973, 1983-present |
| Architect | John Eberson |
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Majestic Theatre
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival |
| Part of | Dallas Downtown Historic District (ID04000894) |
| NRHP reference No. | 77001437 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 14, 1977 |
| Designated CP | August 11, 2006 |
The Majestic Theatre is a cool performing arts theater in the City Center District of Downtown Dallas. It's super important because it's the last building left from "Theater Row," which was a famous street full of entertainment places on Elm Street. This special building is recognized as a Dallas Landmark and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
History of the Majestic Theatre
Building the Majestic Theatre
The Majestic Theatre was built in 1920. It was designed by John Eberson for a company called Interstate Amusement Company. This company owned many vaudeville theaters. Vaudeville was a popular type of entertainment with many different acts, like singers, dancers, comedians, and magicians.
The theater cost $2 million to build. It opened on April 11, 1921. At first, it could hold 2,800 people. The new Majestic Theatre replaced an older one that had burned down in 1917.
Inside the Majestic Theatre
The inside of the Majestic Theatre was very fancy. It had a beautiful design with fancy columns and decorations. The lobby floor was made of black and white marble. There were also two marble staircases.
Other cool features included an old-fashioned elevator for the balconies. There were also sparkling chandeliers, shiny brass mirrors, and a marble fountain. Later, a snack stand was added in the lobby.
The main theater room had a special ceiling that looked like a sky. It had floating clouds and twinkling stars that could move! The seats were made of woven cane. The stage was huge, with big columns on each side. There was also a pit for the orchestra in front of the stage.
Theatre Row in Dallas
The Majestic was the most amazing theater on Dallas's "Theatre Row." This street had many theaters like the Melba, Tower, Palace, and Rialto. Sadly, all the other theaters were torn down by the late 1970s. Only the Majestic Theatre is still standing today.
Famous Performers and Movies
The Majestic Theatre hosted many famous people. Magicians like Houdini and stars like Mae West and Bob Hope performed there during the vaudeville days.
Starting in 1922, movies were also shown along with the live shows. The theater even held movie premieres. Big stars like Jimmy Stewart, Gregory Peck, and John Wayne visited. Famous music groups, called Big Bands, also played there.
In 1932, the Majestic Theatre started showing only movies. It was known for showing action movies with stars like Humphrey Bogart. On July 16, 1973, the Majestic Theatre closed its doors after showing the movie “Live and Let Die”.
Rebirth of the Majestic Theatre
Restoration and Reopening
In 1976, a group called the Hoblitzelle Foundation gave the Majestic Theatre to the City of Dallas. The city decided to bring the theater back to life as a performing arts center.
Workers carefully restored the outside of the building. Inside, they fixed and repainted the beautiful columns and decorations. They even put new 23K gold leaf on the fancy details. New seats were put in, but the number of seats was reduced from 2,400 to 1,570. This made room for a bigger orchestra pit and new sound and lighting systems. The stage was also improved for dance performances.
Historical Recognition
In 1977, the Majestic Theatre became the first building in Dallas to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a very important historical site. It also received a special marker from the Texas Historical Commission in 1983.
The theater officially reopened on January 28, 1983. Today, the Majestic Theatre is a busy place. It hosts many different events like musicals, plays, dance shows, and concerts.
Majestic Theatre in Pop Culture
- The famous writer Horton Foote worked at the theater as an usher when he was 16 years old. He wrote movies like To Kill a Mockingbird. He said the Majestic showed stage shows between films.
- After it closed in 1973, the theater was used to film parts of the movie Phantom of the Paradise (1974).
- On May 26, 1991, Barney and the Backyard Gang had a concert here. It was later released as a video called Barney in Concert.
- Psalty the Singing Songbook also filmed his "Funtastic Praise Party" special at the theater in 1992.
See also
