Harbor Theatre

One of the first new-build movie houses in was the Lyric Theatre Building at 416 Starr Street. Built by Henry H. Elliott, one of Corpus Christi’s early movie theatre pioneers, the Lyric Theatre opened in 1910. It competed with early nickelodeons in Corpus such as the Seaside Theatre and the Crystal Electric Theatre. Elliott had great success with the Lyric Theatre showing photoplays and would be the first- two-theatre operator when he opened the Rex Theatre.

Elliott left the Lyric Theatre behind as movie theatre exhibition moved from the store-show nickelodeons to new-build venues designed to show films. He would operate the new-build Amusu Theatre on August 17, 1914, a first generation movie palace with marble floors, a mirrored screen, sloped floor seating, and modern for the time ventilation to cool 700 patrons - all things the Lyric Theatre didn’t have.

Under new operators, the venue became the New Lyric Theatre and then returning to the Lyric Theatre moniker that lasted into World War I. The venue closed briefly in October of 1917 for a refresh. It re-emerged as the more patriotically-named Liberty Theatre. The neighboring Clark’s Confectionery served as the de facto concession stand at the Liberty Theatre. The Liberty Theatre scuffled in the face of new competition. It closed for the Summer of 1920 and re-emerged as a venue hosting boxing and wrestling matches in October of 1920. The ventilation-challenged theatre took another break during the summer months of 1921. The Liberty Theatre closed at the end of its lease on March 29, 1922.

In June of 1922, George Zinsz of Oklahoma took on the venue giving a major refresh and publicly asking for suggestions for a new name Mary Brown score $25 for being the first of many folks who suggested Harbor Theatre. Zinsz’s Harbor Theatre set sail on August 12, 1922 with his $7,500 pipe organ. But Zinsz found the the water choppy as he and the building were unprepared for the masses who came on opening day and in successive days. 90 degree heat proved that. He posted two apology advertisements and ten days later promised a new Blizzard fan, a better organist in Jack Prather formerly of the Hippodrome Theatre in Fort Worth, and increased staffing. In October of 1922, Zinsz installed an electronic scoreboard to simulcast the World Series baseball games.

Zinsz changed programming away from films to live entertainment and special events closing the house for the warm 1923 summer months. He made improvements renaming the venue as the New Harbor Theatre with films and vaudeville. Zinsz closed the venue in Summer of 1924 and did not return. The space became a real estate office until 1931 when the building received its most famous tenant in Biel’s Self-Service Grocers on the main floor and the Dallas Hotel at 416 ½ Starr Street on the upper floor. Biel’s changed grocery shopping creating a local chain with the downtown flagship operating to 1977.

The building was given a game-changing alteration in 1980 and was later home to an architectural firm that likely preserved the former Lyric Building for generations to come. The 416 Starr building is a beautifully maintained building in the 2020.s that sports its Dallas Hotel - $8 per week repainted “ghost signage".

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