Simon Theatre

Last updated

Simon Theatre
Simon Theatre Brenham TX.JPG
View of the upper story of the Simon Theatre in 2010
Relief map of Texas.png
Red pog.svg
Simon Theatre
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Simon Theatre
Location109 W. Main St.,
Brenham, Texas
Coordinates 30°10′2″N96°23′54″W / 30.16722°N 96.39833°W / 30.16722; -96.39833
Arealess than one acre
Built1925 (1925)
Built byR.P. Ball
Architect Alfred Finn
Part of Brenham Downtown Historic District (ID04000154 [1] )
Designated CPMarch 10, 2004

The Simon Theatre is a theater in Brenham, Texas. It was built by James Simon, designed by Houston architect Alfred C. Finn, and constructed in 1925. [2] [3] For many decades the Simon Theatre provided the community with a setting for theatrical performances, vaudeville acts, ballroom dances, special events and movies. [2]

Contents

Recognition

The Simon Theatre is recognized by The League of Historic American Theatres as a Texas Historic Theatre, [4] and the Architecture Division of the Texas Historical Commission has listed it as an Endangered Historic Property. [5] The Brenham Main Street Historical Preservation, an historical preservation project, is creating a downtown visitor center within the building. [6] The Simon Theatre is part of the Brenham Downtown Historic District, an historical landmark on the National Register of Historic Places. [7]

Simon Center

The Simon Theatre is currently under renovations and will be renamed the Simon Center. "Save our Simon" is an organization dedicated to the preservation of the Simon Theatre. On September 28, 2007, the organization raised $1.2 million for the renovation of the Simon Theatre. [8] On February 22, 2007, the chairman of the Texas Historical Commission, John Nau, stated that the Simon Center in downtown Brenham would restore a historic building and be, "a tremendous economic development investment for the community." The plans include refurbishing the 83-year-old theater and ballroom so that it may be used as a convention center and visitors center. [9] The "Save Our Simon reached the $2 million mark at the end of 2008 and has raised $2.3 million so far." [10]

"Dallas architecture ArchiTexas is overseeing the design of the theater. The company has done restorations of courthouses and other old theaters in Texas." Donna Cummins - Save Our Simon administrator stated. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission</span> New York City agency

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and culturally significant buildings and sites by granting them landmark or historic district status, and regulating them after designation. It is the largest municipal preservation agency in the nation. As of July 1, 2020, the LPC has designated more than 37,800 landmark properties in all five boroughs. Most of these are concentrated in historic districts, although there are over a thousand individual landmarks, as well as numerous interior and scenic landmarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawaii Theatre</span> United States historic place

The Hawaii Theatre is a historic 1922 theatre in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii, located at 1130 Bethel Street, between Hotel and Pauahi Streets, on the edge of Chinatown. It is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Theatre (Atlanta)</span> Movie theater in Atlanta, Georgia, United States

The Fox Theatre, a former movie palace, is a performing arts venue located at 660 Peachtree Street NE in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, and is the centerpiece of the Fox Theatre Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas Historical Commission</span> Agency of the State of Texas, United States

The Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the U.S. state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramount Theatre (Austin, Texas)</span>

The Paramount Theatre is a live theatre venue/movie theatre located in downtown Austin, Texas. The classical revival style structure was built in 1915. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on June 23, 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Houston</span>

The architecture of Houston includes a wide variety of award-winning and historic examples located in various areas of the city of Houston, Texas. From early in its history to current times, the city inspired innovative and challenging building design and construction, as it quickly grew into an internationally recognized commercial and industrial hub of Texas and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Senator Theatre</span> United States historic place

The Senator Theatre is a historic Art Deco movie theater on York Road in the Govans section of Baltimore, Maryland. It is the oldest operating movie theater in central Maryland and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a designated Baltimore City Landmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egyptian Theatre (DeKalb, Illinois)</span> United States historic place

The Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb, Illinois, United States, is an Egyptian Revival theatre that is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The theatre was built in 1928 and 1929 as part of a much larger wave of national fascination with Ancient Egypt throughout the United States, due, in large part, to the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922. The theatre was added to the National Register in 1978 and its 1,430-seat auditorium is currently DeKalb County's largest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madam Walker Legacy Center</span> National Historic Landmark in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

The Madam C. J. Walker Building, which houses the Madam Walker Legacy Center, was built in 1927 in the city of Indianapolis, in the U.S. state of Indiana, and as Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company, it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991. The four-story, multi-purpose Walker Building was named in honor of Madam C. J. Walker, the African American hair care and beauty products entrepreneur who founded the Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company, and designed by the Indianapolis architectural firm of Rubush & Hunter. The building served as the world headquarters for Walker's company, as well as entertainment, business, and commercial hub along Indiana Avenue for the city's African American community from the 1920s to the 1950s. The historic gathering place and venue for community events and arts and cultural programs were saved from demolition in the 1970s. The restored building, which includes African, Egyptian, and Moorish designs, is one of the few remaining African-Art Deco buildings in the United States. The Walker Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Save America's Treasures</span> US government preservation program

Save America's Treasures is a United States federal government initiative to preserve and protect historic buildings, arts, and published works. It is a public–private partnership between the U.S. National Park Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and Institute of Museum and Library Services are also partners in the work. In the early years of the program, Heritage Preservation and the National Park Foundation were also involved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center</span> United States historic place

The Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center or The Rose, also known as the Astro Theatre, originally opened as The Riviera. It is located in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1926 in a combination of both Moorish and Classical styles, the building was rehabilitated in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brenham Downtown Historic District</span> Historic district in Texas, United States

The Brenham Downtown Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Buildings in the district were designed by Alfred C. Finn, James Wetmore, and others in Classical Revival and other styles. Included in the district is the Simon Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfred C. Finn</span> American architect

Alfred Charles Finn was an American architect. He started in the profession with no formal training in 1904 as an apprentice for Sanguinet & Staats. He worked in their offices in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston. His credits during his tenure residential structures, but firm was a leader in steel-frame construction of skyscrapers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alabama Theatre (Houston)</span> Historic movie theater in Texas, USA

The Alabama Theatre is a historic movie theater located at the intersection of Alabama Street and Shepherd Drive in the Upper Kirby district of Houston, Texas. Constructed in 1939, in the Art Deco and Streamline Moderne styles as a suburban theater, the Alabama primarily booked roadshow engagements through most of its history. Today, the theater is home to a Trader Joe's grocery store. It is one of the buildings of the Alabama Shepherd Shopping Center, owned by Weingarten Realty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mississippi Lofts and Adler Theatre</span> United States historic place

The Mississippi Lofts and Adler Theatre is an apartment building and theater complex located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places by its original name, the Hotel Mississippi and RKO Orpheum Theater. The Hotel Mississippi was listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 2005. In 2020 the complex was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Downtown Davenport, Iowa</span>

This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. Downtown Davenport is defined as being all of the city south of 5th Street from Marquette Street east to the intersection of River Drive and East 4th Street. The locations of National Register properties and districts may be seen in an online map.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hotel Texas</span> Hotel in Texas, United States

The Hilton Fort Worth is a historic hotel in downtown Fort Worth, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brenham Heritage Museum</span> Museum in Brenham, Texas

The Brenham Heritage Museum is a local history museum in downtown Brenham, Texas located in the former US Post Office-Federal Building-Brenham listed on the National Register of Historic Places building. The museum is operated by the Brenham Heritage Museum Board of Directors, and staff members. The museum operates a second site, the Bus Depot Gallery, in the Art-Deco Kerrville Bus Lines Depot of Brenham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Providence Performing Arts Center</span> United States historic place

The Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC), formerly Loew's State Theatre and Palace Concert Theater, is a multi-use not-for-profit theater located at 220 Weybosset Street in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It was built in 1928 as a movie palace by the Loews Theatres chain to designs by Rapp & Rapp, the leading designers of music palaces at the time. PPAC contains 3,100 seats and hosts touring Broadway shows, concerts, plays and films.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 A Brief History of the Simon Theatre - Brenham, Texas Archived 2008-11-19 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Cinema Treasures | Simon Theatre
  4. League of Historic American Theatres – Theatre Inventory Archived 2007-10-29 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Texas Historical Commission, Architecture Division: An Inventory of Records at the Texas State Archives, 1981-1999
  6. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 25, 2006. Retrieved October 24, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. simonfaq [ permanent dead link ]
  8. Supporters raise $1.2 million for ‘Save the Simon’ [ permanent dead link ] Brenham Banner Press
  9. Historical Commission chairman lauds restoration project [ permanent dead link ] Brenham Banner Press
  10. 1 2 Simon Center phase be completed on September [ permanent dead link ]