{"nrhp_refnum":"93000565","name":"National Theater","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"522 Oak St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Graham","county":"Young County","state":"TX","lat":33.105924937000054,"lon":-98.59136084499994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1993-06-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1 1/2-story Moderne-style movie theater at 522 Oak Street on the west side of the town square in Graham, Young County, Texas. It was rebuilt in 1941 after a fire destroyed the 1920 theater, using the surviving walls and floors.","why_significant":"The theater is argued to be a fine local example of the Moderne style under Criterion C in architecture. It is typical in plan of small-town Texas theaters of the late 1930s and early 1940s. The style was rare in Graham before 1941. The building also played an important role in community life through the mid-20th century.","narrative":"Located on the west side of the town square in Graham, Texas, this 1 1/2-story theater at 522 Oak Street was rebuilt in 1941 after fire destroyed the earlier theater that opened in 1920. The Dallas firm of Corgan and Moore, which specialized in movie houses, designed the new building and reused the surviving masonry walls and concrete floors. Its stucco facade, curved black and white neon-trimmed marquee, black tile, and structural glass ticket booth show Moderne and Art Deco influences, which were rare in Graham before 1941. Inside, red and cream colors, terrazzo flooring, and geometric detailing remain, along with many original seats. The theater was the first in Graham to have fluorescent lighting and air conditioning. Local contractors did the work, and it reopened in January 1941. It remained the town's only walk-in movie house by the mid-1960s, closed in 1987, and was later renovated. It was judged a fine local example of Moderne movie house architecture.","period_of_significance":"1941","architect_builder":"Corgan, Jack; Moore, W.J. \"Bill\"","architectural_style":"Modern Movement/Moderne","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still used as a theater after a recent renovation that retained original materials; the stage area is used for storage until full restoration.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.81527-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/41/9740/40974041/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/93000565.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/93000565/c6b011a3cb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/93000565/c6b011a3cb-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NationalGraham1.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</a>, <a href=\"https://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:NationalGraham1.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40974041","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q42304908"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/young-county/national-theater-93000565/"}