The Paramount Theatre is a live theatre venue/

movie theatre A movie theater (American English) or cinema (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as a movie house, cinema hall, picture house, picture theater, the movies, the pictures, or simply theater, is a business ...

located in downtown

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

. The

classical revival Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassic ...

style structure was built in 1915. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on June 23, 1976. In the Paramount's 100-year history, it has played host to a wide variety of acts ranging from

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

, musicals, legitimate theater, and movies, including premieres of such films as 1966's ''

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

''.

History

The four-story theater was built by Ernest Nalle, who commissioned architect John Eberson to design the building in January 1915. The theater opened under the name "The Majestic" on October 11, 1915, and hosted various

performers including the

Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act known for their anarchic humor, rapid-fire wordplay, and visual gags. They achieved success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in 14 motion pictures. The core group consisted of brothers Chi ...

. In 1930, the theater was purchased by Karl Hoblitzelle, who renamed it to the "Paramount Theatre" and added carpeting, upholstered seating, and the addition of a giant lighted blade sign reading "Paramount". In 1941, the theater was purchased by the Margaret Reed Estate. In November 1963, the building's facade received a renovation. The renovation included the removal and reprogramming of the signature blade sign. However, the sign was never re-installed and its fate was never revealed. By the 1970s, the popularity of television and suburban movie theaters led to a decline in theater attendance. In 1975, proprietors John M. Bernardoni, Charles Eckerman, and Stephen L. Scott formed a nonprofit group to restore the building, which was in deteriorating condition. Local philanthropist

Roberta Crenshaw Roberta P. Crenshaw (April 17, 1914 - February 8, 2005) was an American civic leader and philanthropist. Crenshaw campaigned for over 60 years to preserve park land in Austin, Texas and supported Austin-area cultural institutions. Early life and ...

, who owned a 50% stake in the building through her late husband's estate, donated her half of the trust to the nonprofit, meanwhile, the other half of the trust offered a 99-year lease. In 1976, the theater's listing on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

qualified the venue for federal restoration funds. Renovations began in September 1977 following a $1.85 million grant from the federal government, which was also used to spur economic development in Downtown Austin. In 2015, the theater embarked on an effort to recreate the signature blade sign that was lost in 1963. Since there were no known architectural or engineering plans for the original sign, the designers analyzed old footage of the theatre that included the sign. On September 23, 2015, the blade sign was lit for the first time in over 50 years. The professional production staff for The Paramount Theatre has been continually provided by the members of Local 205, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees since opening day, 110 years ago. On May 30, 2025, it would serve as the venue which hosted the first public discussion panel concerning details about the long-awaited revival of the Texas-based animated tv series ''

King of the Hill ''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels that initially aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, with four more episodes airing in First-run syndicati ...

'' .

Gallery

File:Paramount Theater - Austin, Texas - DSC08308.jpg, Paramount Theatre in 2015 File:Paramount Theatre Austin TX (877324112).jpg, Marquee sign detail File:One of three architectural elements above the Paramount Theatre in downtown Austin, Texas LCCN2014632643.tif, Architectural elements File:P071014CK-0099 (14992504778).jpg, President Barack Obama delivers remarks at the theatre in 2014

References

External links

Paramount Theatre History
Cinemas and movie theaters in Texas City of Austin Historic Landmarks Culture of Austin, Texas Buildings and structures in Austin, Texas Theatres completed in 1915 Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas National Register of Historic Places in Austin, Texas Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks {{US-theat-struct-stub