Liberty Theatre
1102 Main Street,
Fort Worth,
TX
76102
1102 Main Street,
Fort Worth,
TX
76102
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Community Theaters Inc.
Architects: Wiley Gulick Clarkson
Previous Names: Ritz Theatre, Pantages Theatre, Civic Repertory Theatre, Plaza Theatre, New Liberty Theatre
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The Ritz Theatre was opened on September 7, 1924 as a legitimate theatre. In January 1926 it went over to vaudeville and was renamed Pantages Theatre. This was not a great success and it closed in 1928. It became the Civic Repertory Theatre, which only lasted for nine weeks. It then briefly operated as the Plaza Theatre.
In 1930 it reopened as a movie theatre, named New Liberty Theatre it was closed in 1948. Reopened by 1950 as the Liberty Theatre, it finally closed on January 22, 1956 with Bud Abbott & Lou Costello in “Commin' Round the Mountain” & Richard Conte in “Under the Gun”. It was demolished to make way for the Tarrant County Convention Center.
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
Jan Jones' book Renegades, Showmen & Angels: A Theatrical History of Fort Worth from 1873-2001 gives a timeline for the New Liberty Theatre. It opened on September 7, 1924, as the Ritz Theatre, a legitimate house. In January, 1926, the house converted to vaudeville as the Pantages Theatre. The vaudeville programming was not a great success, and until 1928 the Pantages circuit offered varied programs of movies, road shows, and performances by the circuit’s own stock company, the Pantages Players, until finally giving up the lease.
In 1928, the house became the Civic Repertory Theatre, a venture which lasted only nine weeks. November, 1929, brought another repertory company to the house, and it operated briefly as the Plaza Theatre. Finally, in 1930, the house was sold to Leon Lewis, who renamed it the New Liberty and operated it as a movie house until 1948.
The New Liberty theatre was on the southeast corner of 10th and Main Streets, across the street from the second Majestic Theatre. Google Maps will not be able to find this location as the entire intersection, along with several others downtown, was obliterated when the city’s convention center was built.
I have to clarify my previous comment as to the location of the New Liberty. The entrance of the theater was on Main Street, but the building ran through the block and the auditorium section was actually on Commerce Street, across from the Majestic Theatre. The Hippodrome Theatre was across Main Street from the New Liberty.
Closed 1956
Architect was Wiley Gulick Clarkson of Fort Worth
Not sure why CT has this theatre listed as being on the Southside of FW. This was Downtown where the convention center is now.
The final showtimes for the Liberty (which had dropped “New”) appears to be on January 22, 1956 with a double feature of “Comin' ‘round the Mountain” and “Under the Gun.”
The address you would use on Google maps is 1102 Main St. (don’t use South or North), Fort Worth, TX 76102 (the only mappable address remaining from that area). Apple Maps gets you close at the Convention Center. The theater was at 1107 Main Street - an address which no longer exists and puts you either way south or way north of the location.