As It Once Was .... As It Is Now
Located in the Corrigan Center at 1001 Shaw Avenue, just north of what was once known as Laporte Road (now State Highway 225) and near Red Bluff Road in "Old
Pasadena", the Capitan Theater was completed in 1949 and opened for business on 19 November of that year.
Owned and contracted for construction by the Isley Theater Chain, it was designed by architect Raymond F. Smith and was a twin design to the Granada Theater in Houston.
From the time of its grand opening in November 1949, until it's final closure in the late 20th Century, the Capitan provided entertainment and diversion for many thousands of
people and for several generations of children.
From its heyday as a premier cinema serving Pasadena and other areas, the Capitan eventually fell prey to time, victim of the growing markets of television, video cassettes
and DVD's until, at last, it was finally forced to close its doors.
As with many such sites around the nation, the Capitan theater faced the threat of demolition as the process of time and "renewal" zeroed in on it. But fortunately, thanks to
the dedicated efforts of many people, it was spared that fate and it is now designated as a "Historical Landmark" by the state of Texas.
At some point, an effort was made by a local religious group to obtain the building for the purpose of turning it into a church. But then a preservation effort was organized,
funds were raised and plans were soon made for the restoration of the theater with the thought of turning it into an "opera house" or simply a civic theater for stage
productions and presentations.
Those efforts eventually achieved the restoration of the exterior (with the replacement of the original vertical "Capitan" marquee with one that says "Pasadena") but, by
around 2001, the effort stalled and there has apparently been little or no work done on the theater since that time.
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Below, I offer two sections of thumbnail images of the Capitan Theater that can be clicked on for larger images.
In the first section, I offer vintage images, taken in 1949 or 1950. Some of those pictures are reputed to have been taken at the grand opening, but I have not been able to verify
that as yet.
In the second section are images taken between 2004 and 2007 and which show the apparent current condition of the Capitan Theater. They are not pretty.
The Capitan Theater Foundation appears to still be in existence. The information contact that I currently have for this group is:
Nona Phillips
713-475-2632
While a few of the "current" images are my own, I must acknowledge several individuals and groups for others. These include:
Paul Homeyer, John Troesser, Lauren Meyers, Jim Parsons
The Greater Houston Preservation alliance
and
The Center for American History at the University of Texas (Austin)
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