{"nrhp_refnum":"03000187","name":"Texas Theatre","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"231 W. Jefferson Blvd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Dallas","county":"Dallas County","state":"TX","lat":32.74350996100003,"lon":-96.82581843999998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2003-04-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Entertainment/Recreation"],"significance_levels":["national","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1931 atmospheric movie theater at 231 W. Jefferson Boulevard in the Oak Cliff commercial district of Dallas, Texas, designed by theater architect W. Scott Dunne.","why_significant":"The theater is significant locally as a surviving example of the 1920s-30s \"movie palace\" era and as the largest, grandest theater serving Oak Cliff. It is also tied to the November 22, 1963 arrest of Lee Harvey Oswald inside the auditorium. The nomination also notes its role as an atmospheric design by Dunne.","narrative":"Built in 1931 at a cost of $250,000, this L-shaped theater on West Jefferson Boulevard was the largest suburban theater in Texas when it opened with 2,000 seats. Architect W. Scott Dunne designed it in the atmospheric style, with a Venetian Court interior featuring simulated canals, floating clouds and 118 twinkling stars, plus a large Barton organ. Its original brick and stone facade with a campanile was later covered in stucco, and the tower and marquee were removed in 1965. The theater served as the main entertainment venue for the Oak Cliff community, whose Jefferson Boulevard became the second-largest commercial district in Dallas. On November 22, 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested inside the auditorium, drawing lasting media attention. A fire in 1995 damaged the backstage area, and later owners, including a nonprofit foundation, pursued rehabilitation aimed at returning the theater to its 1963 appearance. It remains valued locally as a surviving movie palace.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"W. Scott Dunne (architect)","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Italian Renaissance","criteria":[],"status_note":"Still used as a theater; a rehabilitation effort was in progress to return the building to its 1963 appearance.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:24.054653-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/69/9717/40971769/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/03000187.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000187/7a1ac8fdbc-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000187/7a1ac8fdbc-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Michael Dorosh","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Texastheater.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Michael Dorosh</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Texastheater.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971769","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Theatre","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q637074"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/dallas-county/texas-theatre-03000187/"}