The glass doors facing Houston Street are covered in pressed board painted purple and the gem-colored terrazzo tile on the sidewalk is cracked and worn. Hundreds of feet of cold cathode tubing that once illuminated the marquee and canopy, making it visible for miles, is cracked in some places.
If the exterior shows its age and neglect, inside, the glory days of the Alameda Theater manage to shine through the otherwise rough spots.
Restoration of the historic former movie palace has started and stopped ever since the eight-decade-old venue closed in 1990. Now it appears the work is on a roll once more.
In March, Bexar County Commissioners approved allocating $2.5 million to refurbish and restore the Alameda’s neon sign, a distinctive feature of the former theater in downtown San Antonio.
The project is expected to start this summer in tandem with a complete renovation of the timeworn theater overseen by the Alameda Theater Conservancy.
The project to return the Alameda to its former glory goes far beyond polishing the tile, touching up the paint and rehanging the drapes. In order to open the doors to a new generation of performing artists and theater patrons and be successful, it needs a complete overhaul.
Streamline Moderne
“There are certain historical elements that need to be fixed, then there are other elements that need to be changed in order for the theater to operate as well as to be financially successful and therefore self sustainable,” said Trey Jacobson, interim executive director of the Alameda Theater Conservancy.
Built in 1949, the Alameda was the dream project of bootmaker Gaetano Lucchese. At the time, it was the largest Spanish-language movie house in the U.S. with a glamorous lobby and 2,500 seats.
On March 9 of that year, area high school students and local officials participated in the opening ceremonies before the curtains went up for the crime drama premiering that evening, “Revancha.”
The four-story westside building also housed early civil rights attorneys and elected officials, the first Spanish-language radio and TV stations and the Mexican Consulate.
With its black-light murals by Pedro Teran, the “lighthouse” sculptures framing the stage, vibrant tile work and etched glass, the theater designed by N. Straus Nayfach in the architectural style called Streamline Moderne is a work of art.
But water from a leaking roof has damaged the ceilings and some of the murals, and in other parts of the theater, wear and tear has dulled its former shine.
Besides the extensive repairs and improvements needed, a movie palace built for audiences in the mid-20th century no longer suits the functional — and profitable — needs of a performing arts venue in the 21st.
‘Get it done’
The City of San Antonio purchased the Alameda in 1995 for just under $1 million. Two failed attempts to restore and revive the theater followed for lack of funding support.
In 2017, the city entered into an agreement with Bexar County to provide a combined $18 million toward its restoration.
Texas Public Radio, which moved its headquarters into the stage house behind the theater in February 2020, committed to raising another $5 million.
The conservancy has so far obtained $22 million in state and federal historic tax credits, and has a capital campaign underway.
The fundraising effort is connecting the conservancy with people who remember visiting the theater as children, as well as civic-minded groups that “understand the importance of this venue,” Jacobson said.
But there’s been some skepticism among those who have watched the work start and stop over the years, he said. “Now they’re finally starting to see it get traction, starting to see movement. So that’s what we’re really excited that this team’s gonna get it done.”
Same chandelier, bigger stage
When designs were approved by the Historic and Design Review Commission in October 2019, plans called for an extensive interior facelift, including rehabilitating the decorative finishes in the lobby and on the stairs, expanding the theater’s box office, and restoring paint.
The first phase of construction at the theater began in early 2020, and though fundraising paused when the COVID-19 pandemic created a public health emergency and ensuing economic crisis, some restoration work continued.
Since then, a new roof has been installed, the auditorium flooring has been rebuilt to angle toward an enlarged stage, and other spaces were reworked to accommodate more casual seating, gathering spaces and lounges.
A freight elevator shaft has been built into the stage to allow access to massive storage space below, and structural and remediation work was completed.
The work still to come includes everything from paint and flooring and refinishing to adding more restrooms, building and furnishing lounges and installing 1,200 new seats that can be removed to accommodate other events in the space.
The theater’s custom-designed chandeliers and light fixtures, carefully stored away in one of the building’s empty office spaces, will be returned to the grand lobby and other spaces.
Plans for some of the upper floor classrooms and spaces have not been fully developed, Jacobson said. The conservancy is considering the best use and potential tenants.
A forgotten one-bedroom apartment on the top-most level, that once housed the theater manager and overlooks San Pedro Creek, could one day be refreshed.
The Alameda is expected to open in spring 2028 after $64 million in renovations.
ATG Entertainment will manage the theater, which is expected to feature Latino-focused artists and performers.
