36 N Plaza - 1916 - Paris, TX
N 33° 39.689 W 095° 33.423
15S E 262898 N 3727555
Built right after the Great Paris Fire of 1916, the building at 36 W Plaza St began life in 1917 as the Parisian Theatre, noted by a bronze City of Paris Historic District plaque on the front of the building.
Waymark Code: WM11EZJ
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/10/2019
Views: 2
The plaque itself has "City of Paris" and "Historic District" framing the Culbertson Fountain, a symbol of Paris's resilience and strength after the 1916 fire consumed so much of the downtown area. While the plaque reads "The Parisian Theatre", this one is best known as the Plaza Theatre, and today, it is a live performance venue, home of Paris Community Theatre.
The Plaza Theatre is part of the Paris Commercial Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing structure. The National Register's Nomination Form notes the building as a contributor (as property #18) and captures it in photo #53 (peeking out in photo #1), and it provides a brief description:
An extraordinary architectural hybrid. The second floor features a series of pylons, arcades, and signs, all semicircular on top. Both Spanish Colonial Revival and Moderne influences can be seen.
The DowntownTX website (see below) is a great resource in providing some background to fill in the gaps. The theater replaced whatever was there before the Great Fire of 1916, and these are some past occupants:
1916 - Optician/Parisian Theatre/Musselman & Grimes
1917 - H. N. Sanders (optician)/Parisian Theatre/Musselman & Grimes
1920 - Store/Parisian Theatre/Musselman & Grimes
1921 - Paris Hat Works/Parisian Theatre/Musselman & Grimes
1924 - Paris Hat Works/Parisian Theatre/J. F. Gaylor
1926 - Store/Moving Theater/J.M. Dunlap (confections)
1929 - Oscar's Booterie/Plaza Theatre/J.M. Dunlap (confections)
1936 - Health Spot Shoe Shop/Plaza Theater/J.M. Dunlap (confections)
1940 - vacant/Plaza Theatre/Plaza Confectionary
1944-51 - D.E. Jeffus Jeweler/Plaza Theatre/Plaza Confectionary
1954-65 - Hill Jewelers/Plaza Theatre/Plaza Confectionary
1967-69 - Hill Jewelers/Interstate Theaters, Inc./Plaza Confectionary
1970-72 - vacant/Interstate Theaters, Inc./Plaza Confectionary
1973 - One Stop Record Shop/Interstate Theaters, Inc./Plaza Confectionary
1974-75 - vacant/Paris Cinema, Inc./Plaza Confectionary
1976 - Burke's Saddle Shop/Paris Cinema, Inc./Plaza Confectionary
1977 - Jackie's of Paris/Paris Cinema, Inc.
1978 - not listed
1979-80 - Loggins Opry Land
1981-85 - Vanderburg Watch Repair/Community Theatre/Community Theatre Office
1987-88 - vacant/Community Theatre/Community Theatre Office
1989-97 - Antique Clocks/Community Theatre/Community Theatre Office
1999-current - Community Theatre (remodeled and absorbed areas on east & west)
There are a few photos of the square in "Paris" in Arcadia's Images of America series (by Timothy G. Grammer with Jim Bell) where the theater is visible.