A Century of Stardust: How San Antonio's Majestic Theatre Escaped Demolition and Became a Cultural Beacon

"The whole reason the foundation was formed in 1987 was the theaters had been abandoned and run down,"

"They were slated to be completely ripped down and converted into parking garages. At that point, Joci Straus stepped in and had them designated as historic landmarks, which prevented their demolition. And from there began the fundraising campaign to restore them. I think what many people don't know is how close we were to these theaters not existing."

"an acre of cool, comfortable seats,"

The Majestic Theatre in downtown San Antonio opened on June 14, 1929, and was immediately one of the grandest movie palaces in the South. The venue was the first theater in Texas to be fully air-conditioned and was advertised as offering "an acre of cool, comfortable seats." The Majestic and the nearby Empire Theatre faced imminent demolition in the late 1980s. Joci Straus founded the Majestic Empire Foundation in 1987 to save the buildings. The theaters received historic landmark designation, which prevented demolition and enabled a fundraising campaign to restore and preserve them. John Eberson designed the Majestic with Spanish Mediterranean influences for Karl Hoblitzelle's Interstate Theatres.

Read at Consequence