{"nrhp_refnum":"98000447","name":"Cactus Theater","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1812 Buddy Holly Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lubbock","county":"Lubbock County","state":"TX","lat":33.57845173000004,"lon":-101.84448702499998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1998-05-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick Art Deco movie theater at 1812 Buddy Holly Avenue in Lubbock, Texas, just southeast of downtown, built in 1938 with Robert Maxey as general contractor.","why_significant":"It is a good local example of a Depression-era theater and was Lubbock's first theater built outside the traditional central business district. It served as a bargain-priced, second-run movie house for a growing residential area and Texas Tech students. Of the seven theaters operating in 1938, it is the only one that keeps its original exterior design.","narrative":"Built in 1938 at what is now 1812 Buddy Holly Avenue, the Cactus Theater is a two-story brick movie house with modest Art Deco details, including a tan brick facade, glazed green tile, a central pilaster lined with neon and a projecting marquee. Three local businessmen and a financier paid $30,000 to build it, with Robert Maxey as general contractor. It was Lubbock's first theater outside the downtown core, aimed at families in the nearby neighborhoods and at Texas Tech students, with admission at 10 and 20 cents. It seated 720 people. The theater closed in 1958 after a 20-year run and later served as an ironworks showroom and warehouse. Rehabilitation in the 1990s reconstructed the ticket booth, marquee, neon and projection booth, and added a larger stage. Of the theaters open in Lubbock in 1938, it alone keeps its original exterior, which supports its local significance in entertainment history.","period_of_significance":"1938-1948","architect_builder":"Maxey, Robert (builder)","architectural_style":"Modern Movement: Art Deco","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Rehabilitated and reopened in 1995 as a theater showing classic films and hosting live musical and theatrical performances; it was a warehouse and showroom after closing as a movie house in 1958.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:24.068743-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/90/9728/40972890/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/98000447.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000447/8146c14fac-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000447/8146c14fac-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Billy Hathorn at en.wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cactus_Theater,_Lubbock,_TX_IMG_0070.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Billy Hathorn at en.wikipedia</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:Cactus_Theater,_Lubbock,_TX_IMG_0070.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972890","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cactus_Theater","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5016180"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/lubbock-county/cactus-theater-98000447/"}