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The Majestic Theatre - Dallas by Shirley Caldwell

The restored Majestic Theatre at 1925 Elm Street in downtown with infant cribs, trained nurses, and free milk and crackers. A
Dallas reopened on January 16, 1983, after having been closed for smoking lounge, furnished with wicker chairs and couches, was
ten years. The Majestic is actually the third theater in Dallas to provided for gentlemen.
bear that name. The first was built on the corner of Commerce The Majestic originally offered seven vaudeville acts twice
Street and St. Paul in 1905 by Karl St. John Hoblitzelle as part of daily during the winter season and movies during the summer.
his Interstate Amusement Company, a chain of vaudeville houses. Beginning in 1922 and lasting until the mid–1930s, films were
It burned in 1916, and Hoblitzelle engaged renowned Chicago added to the regular vaudeville offerings. Among the many famous
theater architect John Eberson to design its replacement. Until entertainers who appeared on the Majestic stage were Mae West,
the new building was completed in 1921, the old Opera House at Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Bob Hope, George Burns, and Gracie
Main and St. Paul served as the second Majestic. Construction of Allen. Magicians Harry Houdini, Harry Blackstone, and Howard
the present Majestic Theatre, which cost nearly $2 million, began Thurston amazed Majestic audiences with their magic tricks.
in February 1920. The cornerstone was laid on October 18 of that Ginger Rogers began her career at the Majestic. Appearances were
year. The cornerstone ceremony, with Mrs. Hoblitzelle officiating, also made there by Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, John Wayne,
was held on March 26, 1921. The Majestic, flagship theater of James Stewart, and Joan Crawford. Movies gradually took over
Hoblitzelle's Interstate chain, opened on April 11, 1921. as the main attraction and were shown in the Majestic until July
The Majestic, a twentieth-century interpretation of the Renaissance 1973, when it closed.
Revival style, is five stories tall. Originally a large canopy projected The Hoblitzelle Foundation gave the Majestic to the city of Dallas
over the entire first-floor elevation. A large marquee extended on December 31, 1976. The Oglesby Group in Dallas served as
vertically from the fourth floor level over the canopy. In 1948 the architects for its renovation. The elegance of the Majestic began
canopy was enclosed by a new, larger marquee. A series of tripartite with its exterior, where the original cast-iron marquee was
windows set into square and arched frames extends across the uncovered and repainted dark green and tan. The cream-colored
front elevation of the second through fourth stories. Square terracotta facing was repaired and cleaned. The main lobby
windows on the fifth story are framed by elaborate moldings. The echoed its original baroque splendor, with the black-and-white
structure is crowned by a cornice of applied ornament. The floors marble floor again revealed, along with decorative molding, egg-
are divided by decorative panels, and large scored pilasters marked and-dart borders, acanthus leaves, and floor-to-ceiling mirrors in
by sculptural ornament act as vertical terminating elements, while gilt frames. The original crystal chandelier was removed during
smaller scored pilasters divide the five bays. an earlier remodeling; it was replaced by a chandelier salvaged
The interior was originally divided into theater and office from the old Baker Hotel, historically correct and in excellent
space, with 20,000 square feet of the upper four floors used proportion to its new setting. Throughout the theater, walls
as the headquarters of the Interstate Amusement Company were painted shades of gray with gold-leaf highlighting. Wine-
chain. The opulent and baroque main lobby and auditorium colored carpeting was installed. In the auditorium, the original
had decorative detailing of Corinthian columns, egg-and-dart Corinthian columns, balustrades, urns, and trellises were repaired
molding, cartouches, and Roman swags and fretwork. The lobby and repainted. New seats were installed, with the number of seats
was dominated by a magnificent black-and-white Italian-style reduced from 2,400 to 1,570, to allow for an enlarged orchestra pit,
Vermont marble floor and twin marble staircases. An ornate cage the conversion of the second balcony to house advanced sound
elevator, complete with a brass rail and carriage lamps on either and lighting systems, and the division of the first balcony into
side, served the two upper balconies. Adding to the "Roman box seating. The stage itself was given a resilient floor suitable for
gardens" theme of the theater were crystal chandeliers, brass dance performances. Backstage, dressing-room space was greatly
mirrors, ferns, and a marble fountain copied from one in the expanded. In 1977 the Majestic Theatre was listed on the National
Vatican gardens in Rome. During a remodeling in the late 1940s Register of Historic Places. In 1983 it received a Texas Historical
a concession stand was added to the lobby, and red carpet was Commission marker.
laid over the marble floors. The 2,400-seat auditorium featured
a ceiling "sky" of floating clouds and mechanically controlled
twinkling stars. Seating was laid out in the shape of a fan, with
seats of woven cane, each with its own hat rack for the gentlemen.
Seating was provided on the main floor and in two balconies.
Large paintings were set into panels on the auditorium walls,
along with intricate latticework. The stage was set back beneath an
arch flanked by massive Corinthian columns, with an orchestra
pit in front. Backstage were twelve dressing rooms, a loft to
accommodate scenery, and a set of wooden lighting controls. The
stage curtain was decorated with a classical scene.
Patrons of the Majestic enjoyed by such amenities as a fantasy
playroom called Majesticland, complete with a carousel and a
petting zoo, where children were cared for while their parents
watched the shows. Adjacent to this was the Land of Nod, a nursery

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