Plaza Theater

Plaza Theater was a historic movie theater in downtown Tucson, Arizona, located at the corner of West Congress Street and Plaza Street, later known as Court Avenue. Designed by Tucson architect Roy Place for local commercial developer and pioneer merchant A. Kaufman, the theater opened in 1930 during a period of development along West Congress Street. It was operated under lease by Los Angeles theater operator Joe Gross and was promoted as a locally rooted entertainment project. Kaufman emphasized that local workers had been used in construction and that Tucson suppliers and contractors had been selected whenever practical. The building was designed in a Spanish Revival style that reflected the architectural language associated with the American Southwest. Its exterior featured red clay barrel roof tiles, cast ornamental details around the upper windows, and a prominent marquee. Two commercial storefronts occupied the ground floor, integrating the theater into the surrounding commercial district rather than treating it as a freestanding suburban cinema. By the 1940s, the marquee had been enlarged and the arrangement of lower-level windows and doors had been altered, but important decorative elements, including the cast terracotta details and original neon sign, remained. Inside, the Plaza was planned as a modern sound-picture theater with approximately 650 seats. Contemporary descriptions highlighted its Southwestern decorative scheme, acoustic plaster, heating, ventilation, cooling, and sound-focused interior treatments. The theater was equipped with RCA projection and sound equipment, reflecting the technological transition from silent-film exhibition to synchronized motion pictures. The combination of Spanish Revival architecture, atmospheric Southwestern decoration, and modern cinema equipment gave the venue a distinctive identity within Tucson’s early twentieth-century theater landscape. The Plaza later became associated with Nick Diamos, a prominent Tucson theater operator sometimes described as the city’s theater czar. Diamos also owned the Tucson Lyric Theater and participated in the development of Tucson’s Fox Theatre. Artist Ted DeGrazia served as the Plaza’s manager for three years in the late 1930s, connecting the venue with a major figure in Arizona’s art history. The theater was also described as the only indoor Spanish-language theater in Southern Arizona, giving it cultural significance beyond its role as a general movie house. In the 1960s, the Plaza stood in the path of Tucson’s urban-renewal program. Its final owners, Abelardo M. Campillo and Jesus M. Granillo, were forced from the property by the city’s redevelopment actions. They argued that removing the theater would erase one of the remaining elements of Tucson’s older downtown district. Despite those objections, the building was demolished on May 15, 1969. Plaza Theater therefore survives as a lost Tucson landmark: a purpose-built cinema that combined local ownership and labor, Spanish Revival design, early sound-film technology, Spanish-language exhibition, and the contested redevelopment history of downtown Tucson.

Plaza Theater emerged from the expansion of Tucson’s West Congress Street commercial district in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Local developer and pioneer merchant A. Kaufman commissioned the building, seeking to create a theater identified with Tucson rather than simply import an outside entertainment model. Architect Roy Place designed the structure in a Spanish Revival idiom, a style particularly suited to the region’s historical and climatic associations. Construction took place at the intersection of West Congress Street and Plaza Street, later Court Avenue. The theater opened in 1930 under a lease to Los Angeles theater operator Joe Gross. At its opening, it was presented as a modern sound-picture venue with roughly 650 seats. Its technical facilities included RCA projection and sound equipment, acoustic plaster, and systems for heating, ventilation, and cooling. The auditorium’s decorative treatment followed an old-Southwestern theme, while the exterior used red clay barrel tiles and cast ornamental details around the upper windows. Two storefronts at street level gave the building a commercial role beyond film exhibition. The Plaza’s architectural identity remained visible through later modifications. During the 1940s, the original marquee was enlarged and the arrangement of doors and windows at the lower level changed. Nevertheless, the Spanish Revival terracotta ornament and original neon sign were retained. These surviving elements helped distinguish the theater from more utilitarian commercial buildings in downtown Tucson. The venue was later acquired by Nick Diamos, a leading Tucson theater operator associated with several important local cinemas, including the Tucson Lyric Theater and the development of the Fox Theatre. The Plaza also had a connection to Arizona’s cultural history through Ted DeGrazia, who managed the theater for three years in the late 1930s. Its programming was not limited to mainstream English-language exhibition: the Plaza was described as Southern Arizona’s only indoor Spanish-language theater, giving it a particular role in the region’s Mexican American and Spanish-speaking cultural life. By the 1960s, downtown Tucson was being reshaped through urban renewal. The Plaza and other older buildings were treated as obstacles to redevelopment, while preservation arguments received limited weight. The final owners, Abelardo M. Campillo and Jesus M. Granillo, opposed the loss of the property and warned that removing the Plaza would leave little of the old city in the area. The city’s program nevertheless displaced them and cleared the site. The Plaza Theater was demolished on May 15, 1969. No later operating phase is documented in the supplied sources, and the venue is therefore treated as defunct rather than as a relocated or renamed theater.

• 1969

  Urban renewal displaces final owners

  [1]Plaza Theater (Tucson)en.wikipedia.org

  The city’s urban-renewal program forces the final owners from the property and places the theater’s future in doubt.

• 1969

  Building demolished

  [1]Plaza Theater (Tucson)en.wikipedia.org

  Plaza Theater is demolished on May 15, ending its physical presence in downtown Tucson.

• 1940

  Marquee and lower facade altered

  [1]Plaza Theater (Tucson)en.wikipedia.org

  By the 1940s, the marquee has been enlarged and the lower-level door and window configuration modified, while notable decorative features remain.

• 1930

  Plaza Theater opens

  [1]Plaza Theater (Tucson)en.wikipedia.org

  The theater opens at West Congress Street and Plaza Street in a Spanish Revival building designed by Roy Place for A. Kaufman.

• 1930

  Modern sound-picture facilities introduced

  [1]Plaza Theater (Tucson)en.wikipedia.org

  The new venue features approximately 650 seats, RCA projection and sound equipment, acoustic treatments, and mechanical systems for audience comfort.

• 1930

  Spanish-language cinema role established

  [1]Plaza Theater (Tucson)en.wikipedia.org

  The Plaza becomes known as the only indoor Spanish-language theater in Southern Arizona.

• 1930

  Ted DeGrazia serves as manager

  [1]Plaza Theater (Tucson)en.wikipedia.org

  Arizona artist Ted DeGrazia manages the theater for three years during the late 1930s.

A locally rooted downtown movie palace combining Spanish Revival architecture, Southwestern interior design, modern sound-film technology, and Spanish-language programming.

• Cinema exhibition · 1930

  Main movie auditorium

  The Plaza’s principal offering was motion-picture exhibition in an auditorium seating approximately 650 people. It was designed for the era of synchronized sound films and combined a large public auditorium with modern projection and sound equipment. Its scale made it a significant downtown entertainment venue rather than a small neighborhood screening room.

• Cultural cinema programming · 1930

  Spanish-language film program

  The theater was identified as the only indoor Spanish-language theater in Southern Arizona. This programming role gave the Plaza a distinctive cultural position within Tucson and made it relevant to Spanish-speaking audiences in addition to its broader moviegoing public.

• Retail property · 1930

  Commercial storefronts

  Two storefronts occupied the ground floor of the theater building. Although secondary to the auditorium, these spaces connected the Plaza to the commercial life of West Congress Street and formed part of the building’s mixed-use urban design.

• 1969

  Acceptance of urban-renewal clearanceOther

  Background

  Tucson’s urban-renewal program targeted the theater property and surrounding older downtown buildings.

  Action taken

  The city displaced the final owners and proceeded with clearance despite their objections that demolition would remove an important remnant of Tucson’s old city.

  Aftermath

  The Plaza Theater was demolished on May 15, 1969, and the venue ceased to exist.

  Source

• 1930

  Launch of a locally developed modern cinemaProduct launch

  Background

  Tucson’s West Congress Street was undergoing commercial development, and A. Kaufman sought to establish a theater associated with local construction, contracting, and employment.

  Action taken

  Kaufman commissioned Roy Place to design a Spanish Revival theater and leased its operation to Joe Gross. The finished venue combined Southwestern decoration with RCA sound and projection technology.

  Aftermath

  The Plaza became a prominent downtown theater and acquired a distinctive role as an indoor Spanish-language cinema.

  Source

1. 1Plaza Theater (Tucson)en.wikipedia.org