Gateway Theatre
4104 E. Lancaster Avenue,
Fort Worth,
TX
76103
4104 E. Lancaster Avenue,
Fort Worth,
TX
76103
3 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Interstate Theatres Inc. & Texas Consolidated Theaters Inc.
Architects: Raymond F. Smith
Styles: Art Deco
Nearby Theaters
The Gateway Theatre was opened October 9, 1941 with Betty Grable in “Moon over Miami”. It was closed on January 3, 1971 with Charlton Heston in “Ben Hur”. It was demolished in the early-1970’s. There is a McDonalds restaurant on the site now.
It was a fairly large theatre, in the Art Deco style, with a large marquee, the underside covered with many clear bulbs, and a tall neon Art Deco style sign topped with a metal ball. It had an outside box office, glass enclosures for outside movie posters and a bike rack in front to park bikes. The theatre used ushers in a military style uniform.
Contributed by
Chuck Robbins
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
Growing up in Fort Worth, I attended Saturday matinees at the Gateway Theatre on a regular basis in the 1960’s. I am sorry to learn it was demolished.
The new Gateway Theatre was featured in an article in the January 31, 1942, issue of Boxoffice Magazine. The house was jointly owned by P.G. Cameron and Interstate Theatres. The moderne design by architect Raymond F. Smith featured an unusual configuration, with an elevated stadium seating section that was accessible only by stairways from the foyer rather than from a cross aisle in the auditorium.
Too bad that that picture was not taken while the Gateway was still operating. The Art Deco styling was trendy and the stadium seating design was decades ahead of time.A beautiful 600-seat theatre in a fast-growing, affluent neighborhood of new chain stores and Fort Worth’s first East Side shopping centers. I worked there from 1952 to 1956; then moved to asst. mgr at the downtown Palace and Worth Theatres.The people who ran Interstate were the VERY best:Frank Watherford as city manager;Ray Jones and R.L. Woodall at the Worth were top professionals and hired only the best people. Some of today’s big new Regal Theatres remind me of The Worth in 1955. I moved into radio and TV management after college but still remember Interstate and the Gateway with great fondness! Jerry Condra
This opened on October 9th, 1941. Grand opening ad in the photo section.
and closed in 1970 when new suburban theatres opened.
The Gateway Theatre closed January 3, 1971 with “Ben Hur” at the end of a 30-year leasing cycle.