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 Interactive map of Majestic Theatre | |
| Address | 224 E. Houston Street San Antonio, Texas United States |
|---|---|
| Owner | City of San Antonio |
| Operator | Ambassador Theatre Group |
| Capacity | 2,264 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | June 14, 1929 |
| Reopened | 1989 |
| Tenants | |
| Las Casas Foundation | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Majestic Theatre | |
  Majestic Theatre, San Antonio  Majestic Theatre, San Antonio | |
| Location | San Antonio,Texas United States |
| Coordinates | 29°25′34″N98°29′24″W / 29.42611°N 98.49000°W /29.42611; -98.49000 |
| Built | 1929 |
| Architect | Eberson, John |
| Architectural style | Skyscraper, Mission/Spanish Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 75001952[1] |
| RTHL No. | 5972 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 1, 1975 |
| Designated RTHL | 1991 |
TheMajestic Theatre isSan Antonio's oldest and largestatmospheric theatre. The theatre seats 2,264 people and was designed by architectJohn Eberson, forKarl Hoblitzelle's Interstate Theatres in 1929.
In 1975, the theatre was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places and was designated a Texas Historic Landmark in 1991 and a National Historic Landmark April 19, 1993. The theatre was home to theSan Antonio Symphony from 1989 to 2014. For many years, it remained the largest theatre inTexas and the second largest movie theatre in theUnited States. It was also the first theatre in the state to be totallyair-conditioned.
The land on which the office building-theatre complex now stands was leased toKarl Hoblitzelle from J. M. Nix, who had purchased it in 1920 from the Enterprise Company ofDallas. The land came with the curiousdeed restriction that, until April 5, 1928, "'neither aforesaid land nor any building or improvement or any part thereon shall be used or occupied for theatrical, motion picture, or amusement purposes at any time...'"[2]
Sufficiently exceeding the listed time restriction, the theatre's opening on June 14, 1929, in many ways symbolized a progressiveness with which San Antonio wished to identify. The city actually deemed the month of the opening "Prosperity Month," celebrating the recent era of development Texas was experiencing. In size, the Greater Majestic was second in the nation only toAtlanta, Georgia'sFox Theatre, and it was the first theatre in Texas to be fully air-conditioned, something that alone was a major attraction in the 1920s South. Advertisements heralding "'an acre of cool, comfortable seats'" were "further emphasized by the snow which topped the letters of the theatre's name,"[3] prompting society women to wear fur coats to the June opening.[4] The 4,000-seat theatre was filled to capacity for opening day entertainment, which consisted of the musical film,Follies of 1929 and live performances by Mexican Troubador Don Galvan, "The Banjo Boy," the "Seven Nelsons" acrobatic troupe, Eddie Sauer and his "Syncopaters," and the Father of Country Music,Jimmie Rodgers, who himself received 18 curtain calls.[5] Each week, the program offered included a new film and a new lineup of star performers. In 1930, theGreat Depression caused the Majestic to close for several weeks, until it was able to reopen "because Americans were turning to movies for escape." The Majestic provided that escape with a schedule of films and live entertainment through the 1940s and 50s.[6]
Majestic Theatre's features included a hugecast-ironcanopy covering the sidewalk, a vertical sign 76-feet tall topped with "a struttingpeacock ... walking as a huge ball rotated under his feet," and a cave-like single-story lobby that includedcopperlanterns, ceilingmurals, and anaquarium filled with tropical fish.[7] Inside the theatre'sauditorium were stuffed birds perched onbalconies or frozen mid-flight via ceiling wire, replicas of well-knownGreek,Roman, andRenaissancesculptures, and specially treatedcypress trees brought fromSpain and placed on upper-level niches. TheBaroque tendency to decorate with mask-like faces is exemplified by carvings alongside the stage and under themezzanine balcony, and in direct translation of atmospheric theater design, the Majestic's blue ceiling "cloud scape" disguises the interior dome as an evening sky in conjunction with acloud projector and small bulbs simulating stars. The bulbs are actually positioned according to consultations with experts at theNational Geographic Society, who instructed the designer as to the positioning of the real stars on the night of the theater's opening.
In January 2017, the Majestic replaced the white peacock, which had tarnished gray and become "decrepit" over the years with a new one purchased for $3,600 from Joel Donahue, aCaliforniataxidermist. There are twenty-seven other stuffed birds in the theatre, including a second, less ostentatious peacock on the opposite side of the new addition.[8] At the Majestic grand opening in 1929, the facility was billed as having "one of the largest collections of stuffed birds in Texas," including a large white peacock.[9] Later in 2017, the theatre hosted the San Antonio portions ofHand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief.
The world premiere ofWest Point of the Air (1935) was held at the Majestic on March 22, 1935.
The world premiere ofThe Texans (1938) was held at the Majestic on July 16, 1938.[10]
The world premiere ofThe Lusty Men (1952) was held at the Majestic in 1952 with starsRobert Mitchum,Arthur Kennedy andArthur Hunnicutt attending.[10]Selena (1997) starringJennifer Lopez was filmed inside the theatre.
The world premiere ofTo Hell and Back (1955) was held at the Majestic on August 17, 1955. In the movie TexanAudie Murphy plays himself as World War II's most decorated combat soldier. The premiere was held on the tenth anniversary of Murphy's army discharge atFort Sam Houston in San Antonio.[11]
The world premiere ofThe Alamo (2004) was held at the Majestic on March 27, 2004 withDennis Quaid,Billy Bob Thornton,Jason Patric,Patrick Wilson,Emilio Echevarria,Jordi Molla, native Texan writer/directorJohn Lee Hancock and Academy Award-winning producerMark Johnson in attendance.[12]
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