Tommy Riggs, 80, grew up about two doors down from the Texas Theatre, which opened in the late 1930s to the acclaim of the children in the North 15th Street neighborhood that straddled Sanger Heights and Brook Oaks.

He said when the second-run movie house opened, it charged only 40 cents (a similar ticket today adjusted for inflation would be $7) for a feature and assorted short subjects, such as cartoons, a travelogue and a newsreel.

“We kids were all excited because it was a nice place, well-operated,” he said.

The Texas Theatre — shown here in a 1946 photograph by Jimmie Willis — has been transformed from an adult movie house to a site for wholesome entertainment. The former adult theater of the 1970s, when it was known as the Capri, was given to Mission Waco in 1992. The organization renovated the facility at 1319 N. 15th St., which is now known as the Jubilee Theater.
A Pictorial History of Waco Vol. 2, Texian Press (2000)

Part of a thriving industry in 20th century Waco, the Texas Theatre was competition for the dimes and nickels of the clientele of the city’s other movie venues.

“The first-run houses were the Waco (Hippodrome) and the Orpheum. You went to the Strand to see the westerns play,” Riggs said.

Riggs also has a boyhood memory of a fire at the Texas Theatre sometime in the early 1940s. The one-screen movie house was part of a bustling business district that included the Aerl’s milk plant (which operated an ice cream parlor in the front); Moran’s Cafe (known for its hamburgers); Hook’s Cleaners, a Venetian blind shop; a variety store; a bakery; and a corner drug store where the World Cup Cafe opened almost five years ago.

When it opened, the Texas Theatre, 1319 N. 15th St., seated more than 400 customers. Operated by Paramount Pictures Inc. through its subsidiary, Hoblitzelle and O’Donnell, the movie house was a palace of dreams for many of Waco’s older residents who can recall seeing their first silver screenings there.

Hoblitzelle and O’Donnell at one point in that golden age of movies operated 165 theaters in Texas and New Mexico.

But as movie-going habits changed and the neighborhood around the theater deteriorated, rough elements moved in and altered the make-up of the marketplace, said Jimmy Dorrell, executive director of Mission Waco.

At one point, the theater featured adult movies and it was surrounded by four bars, he said. City officials green-tagged the structure in the late 1980s, when it became a hangout for drug dealers and street-walkers.

In 1992, Mission Waco acquired the Capri from the Eddie Fadal family, which signed it over as a gift to the urban ministry.

In the past 15 years, a consortium of visionaries and community developers have fixed the roof, hung curtains, replaced the seating and extended the stage.

Dorrell is hoping an old-fashioned block party with street vendors, live music, art on display, open cafes and games for children will prove a catalyst for sustained change in the neighborhood.

“We believe this neighborhood can make it,” Dorrell said. “Our hope is to become something like a ‘soft’ Deep Ellum,” alluding to the eclectic and artsy Dallas neighborhood. “Not the bars, but the ethnic restaurants and unique shops and services.”

Mission Waco volunteers have brought out the paint brushes and lawn mowers to dress up the surroundings for the Better Block Project and Master Plan reveal from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at the intersection of North 15th Street and Colcord Avenue.

The second Jubilee Music Festival gets under way from 3 to 5 p.m. The event is part of Mission Waco’s goal to bring more family-friendly arts and entertainment to the area.

The free concert will cap a day devoted to the history of the neighborhood, celebrating its present and envisioning its future, Dorrell said.

After a $30,000 face-lift, the “frumpy little box” has a makeover that he hopes will beckon users to the now 235-seat venue.

And by putting on its best face, he said, the neighborhood hopes more economic and community development will come to the area.

In fact, you might even call it a happy Hollywood ending.

tjryan@wacotrib.com

757-5746

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