Central Theatre
1008 Central Avenue,
Hot Springs,
AR
71901
1008 Central Avenue,
Hot Springs,
AR
71901
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Malco Theatres Inc., Paramount Pictures Inc.
Functions: Church
Previous Names: Hot Springs Central Theater & Performing Arts Center
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Feb 11, 2011 — Central Theater in Hot Springs gets new life as a playhouse
There was a movie theatre named Central Theatre operating in Hot Springs from 1910 thru at least 1915, but it wasn’t this one as it was at a different location.
This Central Theatre was opened by 1938 when it was operated by Malco Theatres Inc. It was closed in 1964. The building was vacant for while. It reopened on April 11, 1974 and closed on December 24, 1974. It reopened in May 2011, and used as a live performance and live music venue. It is also used for the Hot Springs Horror Film Festival.
Contributed by
Lost Memory
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Recent comments (view all 9 comments)
The Central was one of four Hot Springs theaters being operated by the Malco circuit in 1938, according to an item in Boxoffice Magazine of March 12 that year. The others were the Paramount, Spa, and Roxy. W. Clyde Smith was resident manager for all four houses. Malco had entered the Hot Springs market in 1935.
Beginning in May, 2011, this theater will be the home of a professional acting company called the Arkansas TheatreWorks: View link
Called the Hot Springs Central Theater & Performing Arts Center. Website:http://www.hotspringscentraltheater.com/home.html No current events listed.
1919 newspaper ad added courtesy Jerry Merriweather. So opened at least as early as then. Also 1930 image and description added credit Garland County Historical Society.
This article prepared by Nancy Hendricks of the Garland County Historical Society says that the building now occupied by the Not Springs Central Theatre was built in the 1930s as a garage and was converted into a theater in 1937. Indeed, the 1933 newspaper ad uploaded to the pictures page by David Zornig includes and ad for the pre-conversion Central Garage, 1008-14 Central. The earlier Central Theatre that shared the same ad had to have been at another location.
The website needs to be changed to: https://www.centraltheatrehs.com/ They seem to have dropped the incredibly clumsy name, and gone back to Central Theatre.
Joe is absolutely right that this theater cannot have opened in 1910. There was almost nothing on this block at that point.
The Central theatre was closed in 1964 and reopened on April 11th, 1974 to compete with the new John Miller twin and closed on December 24th, 1974 as the Malco theatre reopened as a twin cinema. Ads posted.
As of 1947, it was operated by Paramount Pictures Inc.
In researching the broken web link, learned that the theatre is closed.
Found this link online with alot of info..
https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/central-theater-18239/
no mention about Paramount though, so can snipes site that source ( and all of the others while at it)
According to their Facebook page (again, sources) this is now operating as a venue for the Freedom Church.
https://myfreedom.org/hotsprings/