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The Texas Theatre is a
movie theater A movie theater (American English), cinema (British English), or cinema hall ( Indian English), also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a ...
and
Dallas landmark Dallas Landmark is a designation by the City of Dallas and the Dallas Landmark Commission for historic buildings and districts in Dallas, Texas, United States. Listed sites are selected after meeting a combination of criteria, including historical ...
located in the
Oak Cliff Oak Cliff is a neighborhood of Dallas, Texas, that was formerly a separate town in Dallas County; Dallas annexed Oak Cliff in 1901. It has since retained a distinct neighborhood identity as one of Dallas' older established neighborhoods. Oak C ...
neighborhood of
Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
,
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
. It gained historical significance on November 22, 1963, as the location of
Lee Harvey Oswald Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) was a U.S. Marine veteran who assassinated John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, on November 22, 1963. Oswald was placed in juvenile detention at the age of 12 fo ...
's arrest over the suspicion he was the killer of Dallas Police Officer J. D. Tippit. Today, it hosts a mix of repertory cinema and special events.


History

When first opened, fittingly on the anniversary day of Texas independence in 1931, the Texas Theatre was the largest suburban movie theater in Dallas and was part of a chain of theaters financed by
Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in t ...
. It was the first theater in Dallas with air conditioning and featured many state-of-the-art luxuries. The theater is most famous for being the site of Lee Harvey Oswald's arrest on
November 22, 1963 John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated on Friday, November 22, 1963, at 12:30 p.m. CST in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza. Kennedy was in the vehicle with ...
. Warren "Butch" Burroughs, manager, and concession stand attendee the afternoon of Oswald's arrest said that Oswald came into the theater between 1:00 and 1:07 pm. Burroughs further claimed he sold Oswald popcorn at 1:15 p.m. Julie Postal, the ticket seller, who was posted out in front of the entrance told the Warren Commission that Burroughs initially told her the same thing, although when she later discussed the event with him, she became skeptical about his version. Julia Postal, however never saw Oswald enter the theater, relying on the account of Johnny Calvin Brewer, a manager at Hardy's Shoe Store's, which according to the official government report, happened at 1:35 p.m.. Texas Theatre patron, Jack Davis, also corroborated Burroughs' time, claiming he observed Oswald in the theatre prior to 1:20 pm. The films presented that day were ''
Cry of Battle ''Cry of Battle'' is a 1963 American coming-of-age war film based on the 1951 novel '' Fortress in the Rice'' by Benjamin Appel, who was a journalist and special assistant to the U.S. commissioner for the Philippines from 1945-46. The film stars ...
'' and '' War Is Hell'', which Oswald briefly viewed. As a commemoration of the historic capture, the words "Lee Harvey Oswald, November 22, 1963" were later inscribed in
gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...
paint on the chair Oswald (supposedly) occupied — three rows from the rear, five seats from the aisle. However, the actual chair was removed by then manager "Butch" Burroughs, who took it home and replaced it with another which the FBI confiscated the next day for evidence thinking it was the original Oswald seat. The theater closed in 1989 and the Texas Theatre Historical Society (TTHS) purchased it the following year. This allowed
Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Stone won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay as writer of '' Midnight Express'' (1978), and wrote the gangster film remake '' Sc ...
to remodel the exterior façade for his 1991 film, '' JFK''. However, by 1992, the Society was no longer able to fund the property and the theater closed again. Former usher and sign changer Don Dubois of Texas Rosewin-Midway Properties saved the theater from the wrecking ball in 1993, but two years later, it was nearly destroyed by a five-alarm fire, forcing another closure. In 1996, Pedro Villa stepped in to rescue the theater from another plan which would have demolished the structure and replaced it with a furniture warehouse. However, he was unable to obtain financing to restore the theater and it defaulted to Texas Rosewin-Midway Properties. The fire-damaged building remained vacant for three years, open to vandals, stray animals, and the elements. In 2001, the Oak Cliff Foundation acquired the structure and began renovations after receiving $1.6 million from the Dallas Neighborhood Renaissance Partnership. Since then, the board of the Oak Cliff Foundation has raised an additional $2 million of the estimated $9 million needed for the complete renovation of the theater. The foundation used the funds to secure and restore the building needed after years of neglect and fire damage and the venue began hosting movies and special events soon after. In September 2010, Aviation Cinemas, Inc. signed a lease to operate the theater as an independent and repertory cinema with hopes of presenting live theatre and concerts in the future. In November 2017, a historical marker was installed in front of the theatre which read "On November 22, 1963, following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald was apprehended in the auditorium". Image:TexasTheater oswaldsSeat.jpg , The seat Lee Harvey Oswald briefly occupied before his arrest Image:TexasTheater interior.jpg , Theatre interior in 2005 Image:Texastheater.JPG , A replica marquee, added c. 2006, and restored facade in 2008


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Dallas County, Texas This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Dallas County, Texas. This is intended to be a complete list of properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Dallas County, Texas. There a ...
* Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Dallas County *
List of Dallas Landmarks Dallas Landmark is a designation by the City of Dallas and the Dallas Landmark Commission for historic buildings and districts in Dallas, Texas, United States. Listed sites are selected after meeting a combination of criteria, including historica ...


References


External links


History of the Texas Theatre
* * {{Authority control Theatre in Dallas History of Dallas Cinemas and movie theaters in Texas Buildings and structures associated with the assassination of John F. Kennedy Buildings and structures in Dallas National Register of Historic Places in Dallas Dallas Landmarks Repertory cinemas 1931 establishments in Texas Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas Art Deco architecture in Texas