Waco Theatre
Waco, McLennan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Originally a two-story dark brick building with classical detailing, this theatre opened in 1914 as the Hippodrome. Managed by a group of Waco businessmen headed by T.P. Finnegan, it was used for silent movies, traveling Vaudeville shows, and a variety of civic events. After a minor fire in 1928 the structure was enlarged and remodeled in the present Mediterranean Revival style. It reopened the following year as the Waco Theatre.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This Waco landmark opened in 1914 as the Hippodrome, a two-story dark-brick house with classical detailing run by a group of local businessmen led by T.P. Finnegan. It hosted silent movies, touring vaudeville acts, and civic gatherings in the years when downtown theaters were the heart of a city's social life. After a minor fire in 1928 the building was enlarged and reworked in the Mediterranean Revival style, reopening in 1929 as the Waco Theatre.
Why it matters
It reflects the early-twentieth-century rise of the movie palace and vaudeville stage as the shared entertainment of Main Street America, and the architectural reinvention such buildings often underwent.
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Related people
- · T.P. Finnegan
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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