Arcadia Theatre

Howard E. Brunson built his first new-build theatre, the Arcadia Theatre, 709 Avenue A in East Baytown in 1928. It would replace the four-year old Baytown Humble Club where East Baytown had watched silent films. The 500-seat theatre was a winner for Brunson and led to his operation of four theatres in the Tri-Cities of Pelly, Goose Creek and Baytown. He also operated the Nu-Gulf in Pelly, the DeLuxe Theatre turned Palace Theatre, and the Texan Theatre.

The venue was remodeled with Streamline Moderne style accents and new seating taking the venue to 400 seats. The Tri-Cities would converge into a single city of Baytown in 1948 resulting with multiple Avenue A’s in the Tri-City area. The street housing the Arcadia Theatre was renamed and then renamed again with a new address of 3527 Market Street.

The 20-year lease of the Arcadia Theatre was coming due. And with the cities converging, Brunson decided to consolidate his operation of smaller theatres. He closed both the DeLuxe Theatre and the Arcadia Theatre in favor of the modern and large capacity Brunson Theatre. He would also create a drive-in not long thereafter for more capacity. The Arcadia Building would be used for retail and appears to have been razed in the late-1970’s along with most of the neighborhood.

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