El Paso, TX
A central entertainment hub and source of pride for the El Paso community.
Once known as The Showplace of the Southwest, the Plaza Theatre stood to be demolished in 1986. The announcement of the demise of this community treasure spurred the El Paso Community Foundation to action. In March of 2006, twenty years after the building was almost destroyed, the Plaza Theatre reopened as a major performing arts facility.
Nuts and Bolts:
- The theatre, built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style of architecture in the late 1920’s, was once the largest theatre between Dallas and Los Angeles and was recognized as the most architecturally grand theatre in El Paso. Its ability to present both films and stage shows placed it as the center of entertainment in the city.
- Unfortunately, with the increasing popularity of television and the decreasing number of people turning to downtown for entertainment, the theatre lost its prominence, resulting in its slated demolition to make way for a parking lot.
- After the announcement of the demolition, the Community Foundation responded with a campaign that raised $1 million in only 6 weeks of intense fundraising, enough in the short time span they were given to save the Plaza from the bulldozer.
- The El Paso Community Foundation conducted numerous studies of what made performing arts facilities successful around the country, and in 2002 the City of El Paso and the Foundation entered into the largest public/private partnership in the state of Texas, with the City dedicating $15.5 million and the Foundation dedicating $12 million to the renovation.
- In addition to the main theatre, capable of holding 2,100 persons, there is a small community theatre, a restaurant, meeting spaces, and a rooftop garden.
- The designers worked hard scouring the region to recover original theatre furniture and artifacts that were sold in an auction in the 1970’s.
Successes:
- The details of the renovations have enhanced the quality of life of the surrounding community. For example, the smaller theatre is designed to have the right number of seats to be accessible to community groups unable to pay high royalty fees on scripts being performed in larger theatres, and updated public space facilitates impromptu public gatherings.
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places with a national significance designation, the Plaza Theatre represents both a new and familiar community hub for El Paso. Through the partnership of the El Paso Community Foundation and the City of El Paso, El Paso has recovered an important element of its rich, twentieth-century heritage.
For more information on this program: The Plaza Theatre, The El Paso Community Foundation