{"nrhp_refnum":"78002897","name":"Saenger Theater","other_names":["Paramount Theater"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"219 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Texarkana","county":"Bowie County","state":"TX","lat":33.42152442200006,"lon":-94.04478854599995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-07-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Entertainment/Recreation","Architecture","Communications"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick theater at 219 Main Street in Texarkana, Bowie County, Texas, built in 1924 by the Saenger Amusement Company of New Orleans and designed by architect Emil Weil. It was later renamed the Paramount Theater.","why_significant":"It was the largest and most opulent of Texarkana's many theaters and is the only one remaining downtown from a once-thriving theater center. It reflects the city's long tradition of live theater and the rise of motion pictures. It also has ornate plaster work and intact stage and projection equipment.","narrative":"Opened on November 18, 1924, the Saenger Theater at 219 Main Street in Texarkana, Texas, was built by the Saenger Amusement Company of New Orleans to designs by architect Emil Weil. Brashears Construction Company of Texarkana served as general contractor. The Italian Renaissance building has golden-colored brick, concrete trim, a terra cotta hip roof and pilasters with Corinthian capitals marked with an \"S\". Inside, marble lobby floors, gilded plaster ceilings, Greek-themed ornament, boxes beside the stage and a 1,675-seat auditorium with a ninety-foot clear span made it one of the largest in the South. Although planned for motion pictures only, it was altered to include a full stage after public demand. It hosted touring performers, local Follies productions and films, and was later renamed the Paramount. It closed in March 1977 and was bought by the city, which planned restoration as a performing arts center. It is the last downtown Texarkana theater.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Emil Weil, New Orleans, La.; Brashears Construction Co.","architectural_style":"Italian Renaissance","criteria":[],"status_note":"Vacant at the time of nomination; closed as a theater in March 1977 and purchased by the city of Texarkana in December 1977, with plans for restoration as a performing arts center. Structurally described as quite sound.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.517616-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/40/9713/40971340/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/78002897.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002897/9ead1df95b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002897/9ead1df95b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SangerTheater1.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SangerTheater1.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971340","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110001046"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/bowie-county/saenger-theater-78002897/"}