Plaza Theatre

The Plaza Theatre is a historic building in El Paso, Texas. The theater stands as one of the city's most well-known landmarks, and remains operational today, showing various Broadway productions, musical concerts, and individual performers.HistoryPrior to the Plaza Theatre being built, there had been a large produce warehouse, belonging to Bernard and Ben Schuster, which occupied the location on Pioneer Plaza. In February 1927, the owner of the principal El Paso theaters, Louis L. Dent, bought the property on Pioneer Plaza with the stated intention of doing something good for the city of El Paso. Upon purchase of the property, he told the El Paso Times, "El Paso has been good to me, and I am going to put something everybody will proud of."In 1929, construction of the Spanish Colonial Revival style Plaza Theater began. It was designed by the prolific Dallas architect W. Scott Dunne, who is credited with more than 30 theaters in Texas and Oklahoma. Today the Plaza is recognized as his surviving masterpiece. H. Ponsford & Sons built the theater, and constructed by C.A. Goetting Construction Company. The Plaza was designed, as a modern film house in a Spanish Colonial revival style with the flexibility of presenting stage shows. Construction was completed in 1930. The Wurlitzer Company installed a $60,000 pipe organ. It was advertised as the "largest theater of its kind between Dallas and Los Angeles."Opening night was on September 12, 1930 with the movie "Follow Through" to a capacity crowd of 2,410. Although several theaters existed in downtown El Paso at the time the Plaza Theatre opened, its size, elaborate decor, and technical innovations made it stand out. It was advertised as the largest theater of its kind between Dallas and Los Angeles. The Plaza has been a vaudeville or burlesque house as well as also showing movies. The theater featured an "atmospheric" ceiling complete with twinkling stars which were astronomically correct stars and projections of lazily floating clouds. It was the first public theater in the United States with air conditioning.