Saenger Theater - Texarkana, TX
Posted by: JimmyEv
N 33° 25.297 W 094° 02.676
15S E 402882 N 3698516
The Texarkana outlet of New Orleans’s Saenger Amusement Company was the largest and most opulent theater in the city when built, in 1924.
Waymark Code: WM13R9
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/05/2007
Views: 19
Saenger Amusement Company was based in New Orleans and ran an early chain of movie houses/theaters in the 1920s. They built their Texarkana outlet in 1924, creating the largest and most opulent theater in the city, with a 1,675-seat, 24,000 square-foot auditorium.
Saenger had planned on the theater only showing movies. Like most ‘movie palaces’ of the time, it was equipped with an orchestra pit for music to accompany the movies. Texarkana, being at a major junction of railroads, had always managed to get ‘good theater’ traveling between the major cities of the east and west. Locals protested Saenger’s plans, and a stage was added to the structure. Since then, the theater has presented both movies and live theater. The restoration of the theater was made possible in part by a large donation from Texarkana native Ross Perot.