{"nrhp_refnum":"11000652","name":"Edna Theatre","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"201 W. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Edna","county":"Jackson County","state":"TX","lat":28.979278788000045,"lon":-96.64814958499994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2011-09-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Entertainment/Recreation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A single-screen Moderne-style movie theater at 201 W. Main Street in downtown Edna, Jackson County, Texas, completed in March 1950 and designed and built by W.D. Peck and Company, Inc., of Houston for the Long Theatres chain.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the theater was the social and entertainment center of rural Jackson County from 1950 until it closed in 1978 (Criterion A). It also presents the building as one of the finest Moderne-style movie palaces in southeast Texas, with a 60-foot illuminated vertical sign, a curving neon marquee and a largely intact interior (Criterion C).","narrative":"Opened on March 14, 1950, the Edna Theatre was built as the flagship of the Long Theatres chain, which ran about sixty movie houses in central and south Texas. Houston's W.D. Peck and Company designed and built it beside the Jackson County courthouse square. Its Moderne styling includes a 60-foot vertical sign spelling EDNA in neon, a curving marquee, and more than a mile of neon tubing. Inside are a vaulted lobby, a sculptural auditorium ceiling, and a balcony. The building originally had segregated entrances and concession arrangements. For nearly thirty years it served as the county's main gathering place, until television, home video and multi-screen theaters led to its closing in 1978. Local businessmen bought it in 1986, and the marquee was restored in 2008. The building is vacant, with projection equipment still in place, and a local arts group is pursuing its restoration. It is recognized for entertainment history and for its architecture.","period_of_significance":"1950-1961","architect_builder":"W.D. Peck & Co., Inc., Houston, Texas","architectural_style":"Modern Movement: Moderne","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Currently vacant; the theater closed in 1978, the marquee was restored in 2008, and local residents are pursuing further restoration.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.2538-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/55/9726/40972655/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/11000652.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000652/4ad3e3c222-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000652/4ad3e3c222-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Billy Hathorn (talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EdnaTheater.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Billy Hathorn (talk)</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EdnaTheater.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972655","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q42304824"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/jackson-county/edna-theatre-11000652/"}