The Bisby Plaza Theatre - 2001 - Garland, TX - Dated Architectural Structures Multifarious on Waymarking.com

The restoration plate is on the west side of the theatre, facing North 6th Street.

The National Register of Historic Places's Registration Form (see excerpts in gallery) notes that the theatre was built in 1941, with the last major alteration being carried out in 1950, and describes it thus:

Moderne style, one-part commercial block building is known as the Plaza Theatre. The façade incorporates a variety of forms and materials. It has an artful asymmetrical arrangement of square metal panels, glass block, corrugated metal siding, and a distinctly mid-century modern style vertical sign element at the corner that appears to hold up the marquee. At night the theater’s appearance is accented by colorful neon on the sign and marquee. This building was restored in 2001.

[...]

One of the first transformations during this period [the early 1950s] was by the well-known theater designer Jack Corgan on the Plaza Theatre. The theater had been designed only 9 years earlier by Harold Manzer but underwent a complete transformation. Corgan replaced the original façade and Manzer’s trademark round window with a Moderne façade of stucco, glass block and metal, including a neon marquee tower.

--

There is also a National Register medallion on the west side of the building, and an accompanying sign that looks like (but isn't!) a Texas Historical Marker:

521 W. State Street was originally the site of various dry goods stores including Joe J. Mickle and Son, Hudson Davis and later Cole & Davis. The Plaza Theatre opened at this location on April 4, 1941, with the movie "Western Union." The Plaza was one of three theatre buildings in downtown, all of which were owned and operated by H.R. and Jennie Bisby. Upon completion, the squares Plaza Theatre became the most modern building in downtown Garland.

In 1950, Dallas architect Jack Corgan designed a new and updated façade. In the 1970s and 80s, local country-western groups replaced film showings in the performance hall. John Skelton, trustee of the Bisby Estate, donated the Plaza Theatre to the City of Garland in December 1991.

In 2001, the Art-Deco Plaza Theatre was refurbished by the City of Garland, who currently owns and operates the facility as a performance venue.

Garland Downtown National Register Historic District

Year built or dedicated as indicated on the structure or plaque: 2001 Full Inscription (unless noted above): The Bisby Plaza Theatre Garland, Texas 2001 City Council James M. Spence Mayor Johnny Beach Mayor Pro-Tem Michael Holden District 1 Jim Dunn District 2 Bob Schwarz District 3 Ruben Avelar District 4 Jackie Feagin District 5 Sharon Stotts District 6 Lowell Hyatt District 7 Cultural Arts Commission Linda Brownlee Chairman Marilyn Schwarz Vice-Chairman Carole Coates DeAnne Driver Howard Gay Sandra Lockhart Louis Mazza Harlan Seagren Sheri Stevens City Manager Jeffrey B. Muzzy Managing Director Recreation and Cultural Services Bob Hall Performing Arts Center Director Patty Granville Holcomb Plaza Theatre Manager Debbie McAnally Architect Ron Hobbs Architects General Contractor Augusta Construction Inc. The original theatre donated in December 1991 in memory of H.R. & Jennie Bisby by Sherri & John Donald Skelton II Website (if available): [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:


Any log as a visit to a waymark will require a picture as proof that the person visited a particular dated architectural structure. Any posted visits not containing a picture in the log will risk being being deleted.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.