Fine Arts Theatre

115 N. Elm Street,
Denton, TX 76201

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Interstate Theatres Inc. & Texas Consolidated Theaters Inc., Trans-Texas Theatres

Architects: W. Scott Dunne

Previous Names: Texas Theatre

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Fine Arts Theater...Denton Texas

The Texas Theatre was opened August 28, 1935 with Joan Blondell in “We’re in the Money”. The building stands out due to a clean orange, white and blue color scheme. The front is white trimmed with orange and blue. The marquee runs the length of the building and shelters the entrance and outside ticket booth. Above the marquee is a blue sign where the theatre’s name is spelled out in white letters and neon trim. It was renamed Fine Arts Theatre on November 6, 1957.

Restoration work began in 2014, with a planned reopening for Fall of 2014. It had closed by February 2021.

Contributed by Billy Smith / Don Lewis

Recent comments (view all 14 comments)

Don Lewis
Don Lewis on July 3, 2009 at 8:30 am

A 1938 view of the Texas Theater in Denton before it became the Fine Arts.

lrostochil
lrostochil on September 12, 2013 at 1:12 pm

I think this is a W. Scott Dunne design.

Rogue
Rogue on June 4, 2014 at 7:57 pm

Great News!…… Fine Arts Theatre is being restored and hopefully opened in fall 2014. https://www.facebook.com/TheFineArtsTheater

Rogue
Rogue on June 23, 2014 at 11:50 am

http://vimeo.com/98944833

FineArtsTheaterDenton
FineArtsTheaterDenton on June 27, 2014 at 9:02 pm

We are currently working on restoration of the Historic Fine Arts Theater. Please follow us on Facebook or Twitter. Also, thanks to all of you who have done research, shared photos, etc. www.facebook.com/TheFineArtsTheater Twitter: @FineArtsTheater

Ron75080
Ron75080 on May 30, 2018 at 2:03 pm

The Dallas Group Behind The Texas Theatre Plans To Bring A Similar Model To The Historic Venue It Plans To Re-Open On Denton’s Downtown Square In 2020 https://www.centraltrack.com/owners-of-dallas-texas-theatre-buy-dentons-fine-arts-theatre/

rivest266
rivest266 on May 13, 2021 at 1:16 pm

This reopened as the Fine Arts on November 6th, 1957. Another ad posted.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES on April 15, 2022 at 12:26 pm

I checked the inside of the Fine Arts today and it seems that the lobby and auditorium was destroyed, and the walls were severely beaten up as well. However, there was a chance on renovation in the near future.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on April 15, 2022 at 5:38 pm

This April 26, 2020 article from Broadway World Dallas has about a dozen photos of the Fine Arts Theatre taken in March, 2018.

This web page from the Denton County Office of History and Culture has a few historic photos. It says that the theater building was built in 1890 on the site of an opera house built in 1877. The building was occupied by a funeral parlor and then a furniture store until being converted for the Texas Theatre in 1935.

The original restoration project’s Facebook page is still up, but hasn’t been updated since 2014. Likewise their Twitter page. The Facebook page is worth scrolling through, though, as it also has some vintage photos. I don’t think the current owners of the building have anything to do with those pages. I can’t find anything recent about them, so the whole project appears to be in limbo.

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