When the Aztec Theatre opened its doors to downtown San Antonio on June 4, 1926, 3,000 people crowded into the motion picture palace overlooking the River Walk. They filed past the extravagant, Mayan-themed sculptures and carvings and into the darkness where an organ sang through serpent-shaped pipes beside the silent, silver screen.
San Antonio was enthralled in its newest attraction. According to a form for the National Register of Historic Places submitted by the San Antonio Conservation Society in 1992, 5,000 people were turned away that first day as the theatre had reached capacity.
A century has passed since that summer opening and the Aztec Theatre has changed. Its 1,645-person capacity is quite a bit lower than the heady numbers of its early days. Movies are no longer its main attraction — the Aztec Theatre transformed into a live music venue in 2013.
The building’s operators are still trying to keep that sense of history around. While different kinds of music now echo throughout the building, the old 3-manual, 11-rank Robert Morton theatre organ is displayed in the Aztec’s VIP area as a reminder of its past.
As it turns 100 years old, owner Sam Panchevre notes that the Aztec Theatre has continued to change. A unique bar concept is open in its basement. A 77-room hotel is coming to its upper levels this summer, accompanied by a rooftop restaurant and bar.
At the same time, Panchevre said, the building’s history still resonates with San Antonio residents.
“I meet a lot of people in their 60s, 70s, 80s, who have been there before. They went there in the 60s, 70s and 80s to watch movies,” he said.
Now they’re back for shows and entertainment.
“They love it,” Panchevre added. “The circle of life is coming together with this place.”
A unique theatre
General Manager Kevin Clutz and his team stand under a two-ton chandelier in the lobby of the Aztec Theatre, where plaster sculptures of mythical creatures and warriors stare down from the walls.
The theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. That means, Clutz said, he and his team can’t change the walls or carvings. Clutz works for Live Nation, which manages the live music in the theatre.
Keeping up with the plaster, chicken wire and concrete facades that adorn the building’s interior isn’t always easy, Clutz said. Live Nation can’t hang things on the walls or put up signs. It is a challenge they welcome, though. Clutz enjoys the historic building.
“We definitely take pride in maintaining it,” he said. “It’s definitely an ongoing project.”
The theater was built by the firm Meyer and Holler in the 1920s, Clutz said. It’s the same company that designed Grauman’s Chinese and the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles.
In their 1992 form, members of the San Antonio Conservation Society wrote that designer went to archaeological sites and museums in Mexico to make “sketches and models of Aztec, Maya, Zapotec, Mixtec, and Toltec sculptures, symbols, and architectural elements,” and draw from Mesoamerican ruins.
The conservation society noted that the eventual details were abstractions of those works, combining styles from different cultures and historical periods into extravagant movie house architecture that was emblematic of the opulent 1920s and decreased after the Great Depression.
Clutz said the detail remains and is so rich, he’s always seeing something new.
The movie theater spent time as a triplex in the 1970s and 1980s before it tumbled through various concepts and phases in the 1990s and 2000s. Panchevre said it was at risk of demolition at one point before it made its way onto the National Register of Historic Places.
He purchased the building in 2014. Since then, it’s been renovated to add a standing area on the floor, a bar and new seats to make it more friendly to live music and shows.
Clutz said the transition has been surprisingly easy. The original facade and proscenium that frame the stage remain. The Aztec Theatre’s origins as a silent movie house, with its live orchestra or organ, mean its acoustics still work well for shows. Every seat in the theater has a direct view of the stage.
Other parts of it have been adapted for modern audiences. Old offices have been turned into a VIP area called the Warrior Room. Clutz’s office is in the old projection room. Smoking areas outside the restrooms are now mirrored lounge areas. Performers and audience members who make their way through its doors enjoy the historical feel.
“You see artists all the time taking pictures throughout the lobby,” said Amy Brauchle, the theater’s talent buyer.
Building a music reputation
Brauchle is tasked with filling the schedule at the Aztec Theatre. The historic nature and unique design of the venue help a lot, she said. Many artists return once they see what the venue has to offer. Their sharpied autographs adorn a corridor next to the stage — a live representation of the theater’s growing reputation.
“Austin, Houston and Dallas are always mainstays on tour stops,” Brauchle said. “But once they see the venue, it’s a no-brainer.”
San Antonio has traditionally been a metal town, Brauchle said, but she sees diverse tastes from younger audiences and wants to expand that.
“There’s always a bit of a struggle and challenge in bringing diversified content to a city that’s used to a certain kind of show and genre,” she said.
Brauchle looks at which genres and bands are coming to San Antonio and coming from San Antonio. Indie and Alternative music are popular, Brauchle said, and Latin Pop and Hip Hop are also evolving and growing their audiences.
A 100th anniversary concert series will highlight Texan artists.
Music isn’t the only thing playing in the halls. Recently, Brauchle said, San Antonio native and movie director Robert Rodriguez showed several movies at the theater.
Restaurants, bars, hotels
The Aztec Theatre is very quickly becoming more than a venue.
Owner Sam Panchevre has been working on the River Walk since 1987. When he bought the theater 12 years ago, he cycled through several ideas for what to do with the rest of the building, from apartments to condos.
It took time, Panchevre said. Rules around historic buildings meant renovations were time-consuming and expensive. The theater inside and several of the building’s exterior facades cannot be altered.
Now, the future is coming into focus. Four of the Aztec Theatre’s upper floors, formerly offices, will open as the 77-room Aztec Hotel in August. The hotel will be affiliated with Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio of boutique, independent hotels.
Panchevre said Zenita, a rooftop restaurant and bar, is also close to opening. The Asian and Latin fusion eatery is establishing a menu and will have views of downtown and access to the River Walk.
At the Alamo IceBar in the Aztec Theatre’s basement, guests are given coats and hats as they drink in a room built out of ice and kept at a chilly 13 degrees.
Panchevre expects guests to move between the Aztec Theatre’s venue, restaurants and hotel while all of the businesses remain independent and cater to their own customers.
It’s part of his effort to bring more local flavor to the River Walk. Business owners and local leaders are building a plan for the future of one of San Antonio’s tourist hubs. Panchevre sees an opportunity for the Aztec Theatre to contribute to that.
“We need to preserve the authenticity of the River Walk,” he said. “We just have to be careful with that.”
