Palace Theater
Childress, Childress County, Texas
Marker Inscription
F.M. Phipps and G.S. Layton opened the Palace Theater in 1926. The theater suffered two fires, the second burning it to the ground in 1936. Phipps' widow, Mable, and Layton's son G.R. hired W. Scott Dunne of Dallas to design a new moviehouse at the site. Built by H.J. Naylor, the Palace reopened in February 1937, and the Palace Barber Shop and City Newsstand also operated from the building. The theater closed in the 1980s. The building's Art Moderne architectural features, including zigzag patterning, and the theater's history are significant reminders of 20th-century Childress. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2005
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
F.M. Phipps and G.S. Layton opened the first Palace Theater in Childress in 1926, but fire destroyed it twice, leveling it entirely in 1936. Their heirs hired Dallas architect W. Scott Dunne to design a new moviehouse, and the sleek Art Moderne Palace — trimmed with zigzag detailing and sharing its building with a barber shop and newsstand — reopened in February 1937. The theater entertained the town until it closed in the 1980s, and its bold design remains a landmark of 20th-century Childress.
Why it matters
The small-town movie palace was the social heart of Depression-era America, and the Palace's Art Moderne façade preserves the optimism and glamour that cinema brought to rural Texas.
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Related people
- · W. Scott Dunne
- · F.M. Phipps
- · G.S. Layton
Themes & tags
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