Waco Theatre

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm gonna give it to you straight with a little color on the side. There's a building sitting in McLennan County with a story that starts one way and ends up somewhere else entirely, the way the best Texas stories tend to do. It opened in 1914 under the name the Hippodrome.

Two stories tall, dark brick, classical detailing, the kind of place that practically announces itself before you even walk through the door. A group of Waco businessmen ran the operation, headed by a fellow named T.P. Finnegan, and they knew how to fill a house.

Silent movies flickering on the screen, traveling Vaudeville shows rolling through town, civic events of every stripe. For years, that building was the place to be in Waco. Then 1928 arrived, and with it, a fire.

Now, the marker calls it a minor fire, and maybe it was. But here's the thing about minor fires and old buildings: they have a way of prompting big conversations about what comes next. What came next was a transformation.

The structure was enlarged, remodeled top to bottom, and when it reopened the following year, it came back wearing a whole new look. Mediterranean Revival style, a far cry from that original dark brick and classical trim. And it came back with a new name, too.

Not the Hippodrome anymore. From that point forward, it was the Waco Theatre. Same corner, same bones somewhere underneath, but a different soul looking out at the world.

That's the kind of second act most buildings never get.

What the marker says

Originally a two-story dark brick building with classical detailing, this theatre opened in 1914 as the Hippodrome. Managed by a group of Waco businessmen headed by T.P. Finnegan, it was used for silent movies, traveling Vaudeville shows, and a variety of civic events. After a minor fire in 1928 the structure was enlarged and remodeled in the present Mediterranean Revival style. It reopened the following year as the Waco Theatre.