House of Music
‘New’ Arcadia to feature Texas country, Southern rock and local Battle of the Bands
The Arcadia sign and facade show their age in this pre-renovation photo. The majestic Downtown theater, along with the neighboring Hawn and Sears buildings, are scheduled to begin their new lives this summer. David Stone photo
DAVID STONE | OUR TOWN TEMPLE
The Arcadia Theater was more than a movie house — for years, the Temple landmark was the local home to live theater. Gene Autry performed there. So did Roy Rogers, Robert Mitchum and Sandra Dee.
After opening on Dec. 2, 1928, the Arcadia hosted vaudeville acts and silent films, and within a couple years, it began showing talkies. As time went on, the big screen played a larger role in social entertainment, and when the theater closed Dec. 2, 1978 — exactly 50 years after it had opened — the Arcadia was an aging cinema.
Soon after shutting down, the roof collapsed and the once-exquisite interior was heavily damaged.
Few people have wandered inside its ruins in the years that have passed, but renovation by Waco-based Turner Brothers is bringing new life to the old theater and neighboring Hawn Hotel and Sears building.
A sparkling Arcadia Theater will reclaim its status as a major Downtown destination this summer, about the same time as renovations to the neighboring former Hawn Hotel and Sears building are complete, according to Jonathan Garza, director of development for Turner Brothers.
The reborn Arcadia will be used as a multipurpose venue, said Aaron Konzelman, booking and program director for both the Hippodrome in Waco and Temple’s Arcadia Theater.
“It will host concerts with a focus on country, Southern rock and all kinds of Texas music,” Konzelman said. “We will host some kids’ shows, comedy acts, maybe some magicians.”
He said the Temple theater will host events on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
“In the early part of the week, the Arcadia will be available for the community — recitals, charity functions, conventions,” Konzelman said. “We do that at the Hippodrome and it has worked well. The weekends are high traffic times at the Hippodrome and we’re booked out for the calendar year — every weekend is full.”
Don’t expect the Arcadia to return as a venue for first-run movies.
“The sound quality just isn’t there in these older buildings,” he said. “No matter how much we invest in a speaker system, sound is a problem. We learned that with some of our other projects.”
One of those projects, the Waco Hippodrome, initially showed movies after it was renovated by Turner Brothers years ago.
“We tried it, but sound was an issue,” Garza said. “Eventually, we built three new cinemas at the Hippodrome.”
Garza said preliminary discussions have been held with local organizations such as Academic Musique and some dance companies, and he will ramp up those discussions when the project nears completion.
According to Garza, the Arcadia will be able to seat 621 people. Some of the seats likely will be removable to allow for a larger stage for certain events.
“That’s something we are still looking at, but it’s definitely a possibility,” he said.
The Arcadia will connect with the Hawn and its Union Crossing Food Hall, which will feature multiple food vendors and a bar.
Konzelman said Temple-area residents can expect to see major acts who may already be in Texas for big-venue concerts in San Antonio, Austin and Dallas.
“Having both the Arcadia and the Hippodrome, we will have some bargaining power,” he said. “If a band is already coming to Austin, and they have open dates before a concert in Dallas, we will try to bring them to Central Texas. We’re right on the way to their next stop.”
“We will use both venues to try to capitalize on major tours already in Texas,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of success with this with the Hippodrome and have brought in dozens of major names such as Lyle Lovett, Travis Tritt, the Oak Ridge Boys and many, many more.”
“Music will be a huge part of the Arcadia’s future,” Konzelman said. “We will definitely be bringing in local bands amidst the big-name shows. We’ll be doing Battle of the Band shows where three or four bands perform, and then the audience votes on their favorite. We’ll do that with rock bands, vocalists…all kinds of music.”
“The Arcadia will be home to events that promote the arts and Central Texas,” he said. “Pop, jazz, tribute shows rock ’n’ roll — we’ll have it all.”
Garza said the renovated Arcadia will add to the growing number of entertainment options in Downtown Temple.
“With all the great restaurants already in the area, the Arcadia will provide another reason to spend an evening Downtown,” Garza said. “Get drinks, eat at your favorite restaurant and go to the Arcadia.”
The refurbished Arcadia will sit between two apartment communities — the renovated Hawn and Sears properties — and across the street from Central Plaza Apartments. Central Plaza is being developed at another Temple landmark — the Professional Building.
Thirty-one one- and two-bedroom apartments will be built in the upper eight floors of the Hawn, and 26 apartments will be located on the second floor of the Sears building. An additional two or three apartments will be located in an old auto shop in the alley between the Sears building and Precious Memories’ Downtown location.
“In addition to the apartments, the Sears and Hawn projects will include about 32,000 square feet of restaurant, retail and office space,” Garza said.
Roy Rogers and Trigger entertain a crowd gathered at the Arcadia Theater in 1943. The popular duo performed tricks and signed autographs, then the fans went inside for a double feature, Silver Spurs and King of the Cowboys.
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