Plaza Theatre
A historic Spanish Colonial Revival theater and performing-arts venue in downtown El Paso, Texas.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Plaza Theatre is a historic entertainment venue in downtown El Paso, Texas, and one of the city’s best-known landmarks. Completed in 1930, the building was conceived as a large modern movie palace with the flexibility to accommodate stage productions. Its Spanish Colonial Revival exterior and lavish interior made it a prominent architectural and cultural feature of the Southwest. The theater originally had 2,410 seats and was promoted as the largest venue of its type between Dallas and Los Angeles. The Plaza was developed after Louis L. Dent acquired the Pioneer Plaza site in February 1927. The property had previously been occupied by a produce warehouse associated with Bernard and Ben Schuster. Dent stated that he intended to create a civic asset of which El Paso could be proud. Dallas architect W. Scott Dunne designed the building, while H. Ponsford & Sons and the C. A. Goetting Construction Company were involved in its construction. The theater opened on September 12, 1930, with a screening of the film Follow Thru before a capacity audience. From its early years, the Plaza operated as more than a cinema. It presented films, vaudeville, burlesque, concerts and stage entertainment. Its original features included an atmospheric ceiling with accurately arranged stars and slowly moving cloud projections, elaborate decorative finishes and a $60,000 Wurlitzer pipe organ. The building was also described as the first public theater in the United States to have air conditioning. In 1933, Interstate Theaters acquired the venue. The first documented stage drama at the Plaza was Richelieu, presented in 1934. The theater’s history also reflects the racial segregation of American entertainment venues. Black patrons were originally restricted to the balcony. In 1939, when Gone with the Wind was shown in separate presentations under Jim Crow conditions, civil-rights activist Betty Mary Goetting successfully pressed the theater to hold a midnight screening open to African American residents. The screening was reportedly filled. The Plaza later hosted the 1949 world premiere of the film El Paso and presented other major screen and stage attractions. The rise of television, suburban development and drive-in theaters weakened downtown cinema attendance after the 1940s. By the early 1970s, the Plaza had deteriorated and many furnishings, artworks and the original Wurlitzer organ were sold. The theater closed on May 31, 1974, and later experienced only brief or intermittent periods of reopening before finally ceasing operations in 1989. The Dipp family, which owned the building during the later decline, subsequently considered demolishing it for a parking lot. Community opposition led the El Paso Community Foundation to organize a preservation campaign. In 1989, the foundation and local supporters sought to raise $9 million in approximately six weeks to prevent demolition. A highly visible fundraising appearance by actress Rita Moreno helped galvanize the final effort, and the theater was saved. After the foundation installed a new roof, the building was donated to the City of El Paso in 1990. Texas had designated the Plaza a historical landmark in 1985. A feasibility and restoration process began in earnest in the 2000s. A volunteer steering committee assessed the venue in 2000, and a subsequent performing-arts market study concluded that El Paso could support additional programming and that residents strongly valued the Plaza. On July 30, 2002, the city approved a public-private restoration partnership with the El Paso Community Foundation. The foundation committed to raising $12 million, restoring the Wurlitzer and contributing the adjacent Centre Annex, while the city agreed to finance the remaining restoration requirements. Restoration work was carried out by Thos. S. Byrne, Ltd. and Arrow Builders under historical-preservation guidelines. The project cost nearly $38 million and culminated in the theater’s reopening on March 17, 2006. Riverdance inaugurated the restored venue with multiple sold-out performances. The modern complex includes the 2,050-seat Kendall Kidd Performance Hall, a 200-seat Philanthropy Theatre, a large stage house suitable for touring Broadway productions, meeting facilities and additional hospitality and event spaces. Today, the Plaza presents Broadway shows, touring productions, concerts and individual performers. It also hosts the annual Plaza Classic Film Festival. The venue remains a preservation and cultural-revitalization project as well as an operating theater. The El Paso Community Foundation has continued efforts to reacquire original art and furnishings. Its restored Mighty Wurlitzer, a Balaban III instrument with 15 ranks and 61 pipes per rank, is a notable surviving element of the theater’s original identity.
History
The Plaza Theatre occupies a site on Pioneer Plaza in downtown El Paso that was formerly used by a produce warehouse associated with Bernard and Ben Schuster. In February 1927, theater operator Louis L. Dent purchased the property with the stated intention of creating a civic landmark for El Paso. Construction began in 1929 according to designs by Dallas architect W. Scott Dunne, whose work included numerous theaters in Texas and Oklahoma. H. Ponsford & Sons and the C. A. Goetting Construction Company were involved in building the venue. The completed theater opened on September 12, 1930, showing Follow Thru to an audience reported at capacity. Designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, it combined a mission-influenced exterior with an ornate interior of painted ceilings, mosaic floors, decorative metalwork, sconces, carpeting and antique furnishings. Its original capacity was 2,410 seats. The auditorium’s atmospheric ceiling projected accurately arranged stars and drifting clouds, while a large Wurlitzer organ provided musical accompaniment and theatrical sound effects. The building was promoted as the largest theater of its type between Dallas and Los Angeles and was noted for having air conditioning unusually early in the history of public theaters. Although primarily a movie palace, the Plaza also accommodated vaudeville, burlesque, concerts and stage shows. Interstate Theaters bought it in 1933, and the venue presented Richelieu in 1934 as its first documented stage drama. Its screen history included a 1939 presentation of Gone with the Wind under segregated seating practices. African American patrons were generally confined to the balcony, but activist Betty Mary Goetting pushed the theater to add a midnight screening that Black residents could attend. In 1949, the Plaza hosted the world premiere of the film El Paso and also screened The Brave Bulls, associated with El Paso artist Tom Lea. The venue’s commercial position weakened after the 1940s. Television reduced demand for movie theaters, suburban expansion drew activity away from downtown and drive-in theaters created additional competition. By the early 1970s, the Plaza was in poor condition. It was sold, and original furnishings, artworks and the Mighty Wurlitzer organ were auctioned. The Dipp family, which owned several downtown properties, including the nearby Plaza Hotel, acquired the theater. The Plaza closed on May 31, 1974. It had brief or limited periods of reopening but ultimately ceased regular operations in 1989. The building was designated a Texas historical landmark in 1985. In 1989, its owners considered demolishing it for a parking lot. The El Paso Community Foundation responded by organizing a public preservation effort with a $9 million fundraising target and a very short deadline. Events throughout the community, including a prominent appearance by Rita Moreno, helped raise enough money to preserve the property. After putting a new roof on the building, the foundation donated it to the City of El Paso in 1990. Restoration planning became more systematic in the following decade. A volunteer steering committee evaluated the project in 2000, and a 2001 survey of the local performing-arts community found support for restored programming and evidence of demand for additional performance capacity. On July 30, 2002, the City of El Paso approved a public-private partnership with the El Paso Community Foundation. The foundation pledged to raise $12 million, restore the historic Wurlitzer and contribute the Centre Annex for integration into the theater complex. The city agreed to cover the balance of the restoration cost. Thos. S. Byrne, Ltd. and Arrow Builders conducted the restoration with attention to historic-preservation requirements. The nearly $38 million project returned much of the Plaza’s original appearance while adapting the facility for contemporary touring productions. The restored complex reopened on March 17, 2006, with Riverdance as its first engagement. The principal auditorium, now known as Kendall Kidd Performance Hall, seats approximately 2,050 people and includes a 10-story stage house. The Centre Annex added the 200-seat Philanthropy Theatre, meeting and event facilities, a rooftop garden and hospitality space. The Wurlitzer has its own preservation history. Sold at auction in 1973, the instrument was held by a private collector in Dallas. It was restored in 1998 and returned to El Paso as a donation by Karl O. Wyler Sr. During the theater renovation it was displayed temporarily at Sunland Park Mall. Pipe Organ Artisans of Arizona rebuilt the organ and reinstalled it in the Plaza, returning the Opus 2123 console to its original finish. It is identified as the only intact Wurlitzer Balaban III of its kind. The restored Plaza continues to operate as a venue for Broadway productions, concerts, touring performers, film programs and community events. Its annual Plaza Classic Film Festival connects the building to its movie-palace heritage. The El Paso Community Foundation has also continued acquiring original artwork and furnishings, making preservation an ongoing activity rather than a project that ended with the 2006 reopening.
- 2006
Restored Plaza reopens
[1]The nearly $38 million restoration concluded with a March 17 reopening featuring Riverdance.
- 2002
Restoration partnership approved
[1]The city formally approved a public-private partnership with the El Paso Community Foundation to restore the theater and integrate the Centre Annex.
- 1998
Mighty Wurlitzer returns to El Paso
[1]The organ, which had been sold in 1973, was restored and returned to El Paso as a donation.
- 1990
Building donated to the City of El Paso
[1]After the foundation installed a new roof, the preserved theater was donated to the city.
- 1989
Preservation campaign prevents demolition
[1]A public campaign led by the El Paso Community Foundation raised the money needed to save the building from demolition.
- 1985
Recognized as a Texas historical landmark
[1]The State of Texas designated the Plaza Theatre a historical landmark.
- 1974
Regular operations cease
[1]The Plaza closed on May 31 after years of declining downtown cinema attendance and physical deterioration.
- 1949
World premiere of El Paso
[1]The theater hosted the world premiere of the film El Paso before a capacity and star-attended audience.
- 1939
Midnight screening challenges segregated exhibition
[1]Following advocacy by Betty Mary Goetting, the Plaza added a midnight screening of Gone with the Wind that African American residents could attend.
- 1934
First documented stage drama
[1]Richelieu was staged at the Plaza, demonstrating the building’s intended flexibility as a film and stage venue.
Products and positioning
A restored landmark movie palace positioned as El Paso’s premier historic performing-arts and entertainment venue, combining large-scale touring productions with cinema, concerts, festivals and community events.
Main theater and touring-performance hall · 2006
Kendall Kidd Performance Hall
The principal auditorium of the restored Plaza complex seats approximately 2,050 people. Its 10-story stage house was designed to accommodate large touring productions, including Broadway shows, dance engagements, concerts and other productions requiring substantial scenery and technical equipment. The hall retains the architectural character of the historic movie palace while providing updated performance infrastructure and more comfortable seating than the original arrangement.
Small theater · 2006
Philanthropy Theatre
The Philanthropy Theatre is a 200-seat venue created as part of the restored Plaza complex and adjacent Centre Annex. Its smaller scale supports community performances, children’s programming, lectures, screenings, private events and productions that do not require the capacity of the main hall.
Film festival
Plaza Classic Film Festival
The annual Plaza Classic Film Festival uses the theater’s movie-palace setting to present film programming and reinforce the building’s long connection with cinema. The festival forms part of the venue’s broader cultural role alongside Broadway productions, concerts and live performances.
Historic pipe organ · 1930
Mighty Wurlitzer Organ
Installed for the original theater in 1930, the Mighty Wurlitzer was built to accompany films, vaudeville and sing-alongs and could produce theatrical effects such as hoofbeats, surf and bird sounds. The 15-rank instrument was sold in 1973, restored in 1998 and later rebuilt and reinstalled during the Plaza renovation. Its Opus 2123 console was returned to its original finish.
Marketing campaigns
- 2000Restoration feasibility and community assessment
El Paso, Texas
A volunteer steering committee assembled by the El Paso Community Foundation evaluated whether the dormant theater could be restored. A later survey of the local performing-arts community examined demand for additional programming and public interest in the Plaza.
Outcome. The assessment concluded that restoration was feasible and that El Paso had both market demand and strong civic attachment to the venue, helping support the public-private restoration partnership.
- 1989Save the Plaza Theatre campaign
El Paso, Texas
The El Paso Community Foundation organized a rapid community fundraising and preservation campaign after demolition was proposed. The effort sought $9 million in roughly six weeks and used public events and cultural advocates, including Rita Moreno, to build support.
Outcome. Enough money was raised to preserve the theater. The foundation installed a new roof and transferred the building to the City of El Paso in 1990.
Brand decisions
2006
Restored performance complex launchesProduct launchBackground
The Plaza had been closed or inconsistently programmed for decades and had lost much of its original interior equipment and furnishings.
Action taken
The restored venue reopened on March 17 with Riverdance, offering a 2,050-seat main hall, a 10-story stage house and the 200-seat Philanthropy Theatre.
Aftermath
The reopening returned the historic building to regular operation and expanded its role from cinema landmark to multipurpose Broadway, concert, film and community venue.
2002
City approves public-private restoration partnershipStrategyBackground
After years of closure and a feasibility review, El Paso officials and the El Paso Community Foundation sought a structure that could fund a historically sensitive restoration while returning the theater to active cultural use.
Action taken
The city approved a partnership under which the foundation would raise $12 million, restore and reinstall the Mighty Wurlitzer and contribute the Centre Annex, while the city funded the remaining restoration costs.
Aftermath
The partnership led to a nearly $38 million restoration and the reopening of the Plaza in 2006 as a large-scale performing-arts complex.
Restoration cost. Nearly $38 million (Restoration completed in 2006)
Recent events
- 2006
Plaza Theatre reopens after major restoration[1]
Product launch
The restored theater reopened on March 17 with Riverdance, returning a major performing-arts venue to downtown El Paso.
- 1989
Community campaign saves Plaza Theatre from demolition[1]
Campaign · Other
The El Paso Community Foundation and local supporters raised the funds needed to stop a proposed demolition and parking-lot redevelopment.
- 1934
Plaza presents its first documented stage drama[1]
Product launch
Richelieu became the first stage drama identified in the theater’s history, expanding the venue’s role beyond film exhibition.
- 1933
Interstate Theaters acquires the Plaza[1]
M&A
Interstate Theaters purchased the venue as it continued operating as a major cinema and entertainment house.
- 1930
Plaza Theatre opens in El Paso[1]
Other
The newly completed Spanish Colonial Revival theater opened on September 12 with the film Follow Thru before a capacity crowd.
Sources1 sources
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