Lantex Theater

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about the Lantex Theater in Llano County. Now settle in, because this one's got an opening night, a fire, and a building that just flat refused to quit. The Lantex Theater opened on May 19, 1927, right on the north side of Llano's courthouse square.

S. D. Rainier and George Shaw were the men behind it, and they hired a builder named J.

R. Blackmore to bring the place to life. On that opening night, the house was packed.

Thirty cents if you were an adult, ten cents if you were a kid, and what were they all there to see? Universal Pictures' The Fourth Commandment. Not a bad way to inaugurate a theater.

Over the years, the Lantex became something bigger than just a movie house. It hosted school concerts, the Llano Opry, public meetings, city celebrations, and during World War Two, bond drives right there inside those walls. The place was woven into the life of Llano in a way that goes well beyond whatever was flickering up on that screen.

Now, here's where the story takes a hard turn. In 1951, fire came calling, and it was not gentle. It destroyed everything, everything except the facade.

Just that front face standing there, like the building was daring someone to walk away from it. Owner Rex Wooten did not walk away. He rebuilt the facility, this time with modern amenities, and the Lantex came back.

From its opening in 1927 right on through to today, this theater has been, as the marker puts it, a thriving business and an important social gathering place. Some buildings just insist on mattering. The Lantex is one of them.

What the marker says

This theater opened on May 19, 1927, on the north side of Llano's courthouse square. S. D. Rainier and George Shaw hired J. R. Blackmore as their builder. On opening night, a packed house, at 30 cents for adults and 10 cents for children, enjoyed Universal Pictures" The Fourth Commandment. Along with the recreational entertainment of movies, the theater has hosted such activities as school concerts, the Llano Opry, WWII bond drives, public meetings and city celebrations. When a fire in 1951 destroyed all but the facade, owner Rex Wooten rebuilt the facility with modern amenities. Since its opening, this has been a thriving business and an important social gathering place.