In 1944 construction began on Interstate Theatres art modern 25th Street Theatre. I am located in the 1000 block of 25th Street at the corner of North 25th and Grim St, in Waco Texas. Construction wrapped up in the fall of 1945 with the theatre opening November 29, 1945.
The first movie to be played was the musical "Thrill of a Romance", with Van Johnson & Esther Williams. Admission was 40 cents on Friday and Saturday Nights,30 cents for weekday matinees and 12 cents for children all the time. I contained 780 seats but after 2 screen enlargements my number was reduced to 646.
Hailed as the "NEWEST AND MOST MODERN OF ITS KIND", complete with air conditioning & state of the art sound equipment I open with great fanfare. The Charioteers Mural that adore my walls were designed by Eugene Gilbo. For nearly 37 years I was a success and attracted many first run movies. It is even rumored that Elvis Presley was sneaked into me to watch a movie on a visit to Waco, while he was stationed at Ft. Hood. Unfortunately with the development of malls and multiplex theatres I closed in July of 1982.Some of the movies that I played include, STAR WARS (14 weeks in the summer of 1977, also the first THX Sound System in Waco), THE SOUND OF MUSIC (on Waco's only 70mm screen ever) GONE WITH THE WIND (re-released in the 60s), OLD YELLER (which held Waco attendance records for many years and still might), and BAMBI (the LAST film played).I sat empty for four years until 1986 when I was purchased by Richard Olsen & Richard Keiffer and restored and converted into a progressive nightclub, complete with a state of the art light, sound & video system, 32 foot video screen, dance floor, 2 bars, a Class 4 argon laser light system, robotic trussing, and its very own television show, "The 25th Dimension". With a clientele as unique as Dallas' STARCK Club or New York's STUDIO 54, I was considered by many to be the best nightclub in Waco and perhaps the state of Texas. Opening Labor Day weekend 1986 the club opened and remained successful for nearly 6 years.However in July 1992, with the decline of the surrounding neighborhood and declining patronage the club closed and the following year Olsen was murdered at the Arcadia Theatre, a club he co-owned in Dallas, TX. Since then, legalities surrounding my ownership and Mr. Olsen's estate, has forced me to sit abandoned and slowly decay.In October 2003 the city of Waco condemned and tagged me for demolition.Since early 2004 several people have been working to get me, a historically significant building the attention and respect I so badly need and DESERVE.
Several ideas for me would be a combination of a banquet/concert/event hall, such as the Lakewood or Granada Theatres in Dallas.ADD ME AS A FRIEND SO THAT MORE PEOPLE CAN BE AWARE OF MY PLIGHT FOR HELP.THANKS,THE 25TH
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