Lantex Theater
Llano, Llano County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This theater opened on May 19, 1927, on the north side of Llano’s courthouse square. S. D. Rainier and George Shaw hired J. R. Blackmore as their builder. On opening night, a packed house, at 30 cents for adults and 10 cents for children, enjoyed Universal Pictures’ The Fourth Commandment. Along with the recreational entertainment of movies, the theater has hosted such activities as school concerts, the Llano Opry, WWII bond drives, public meetings and city celebrations. When a fire in 1951 destroyed all but the facade, owner Rex Wooten rebuilt the facility with modern amenities. Since its opening, this has been a thriving business and an important social gathering place.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The Lantex Theater opened on May 19, 1927, on the north side of Llano's courthouse square, where a packed house paid thirty cents for adults and a dime for children to watch a Universal Pictures feature. Beyond movies, it hosted school concerts, the Llano Opry, WWII bond drives, public meetings, and town celebrations. After a 1951 fire left only the facade standing, owner Rex Wooten rebuilt it with modern amenities, and it has remained a thriving business and gathering place ever since.
Why it matters
The small-town movie house was a social anchor of 20th-century American life, and the Lantex's survival through fire and changing times shows how these theaters doubled as civic living rooms.
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Themes & tags
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