HISTORY OF
WOODLAWN THEATRE
Iconic Movie Premiers & Events Through The Decades
HISTORIC
LANDMARK
Woodlawn Theatre is a historic landmark located in the Art Deco District ten minutes from downtown San Antonio. The Theatre dates back to August 17, 1945 as an elegant venue for Hollywood films. The first piece of cinema magic to light up its single screen was the movie “National Velvet,” starring Mickey Rooney and Elizabeth Taylor. The Woodlawn’s biggest claim to fame as a movie theater is hosting the world premiere of John Wayne’s 1960 epic “The Alamo.” The theater had to be modified to accommodate the movie, which was shot in a way that required a curved screen. It continued to be an active movie house through the 1960s until it closed its doors in 1974. After a decade long vacancy run, it became a rock venue in the 80s until the mid-90s. Several tenants have come and gone producing musicals and plays during 2000s-COVID.
ARCHITECTURE
The theatre was designed by John Eberson, an Austrian-American architect best known for the development and promotion of movie palace designs in the atmospheric Hollywood theatre style.
He designed over 500 theatres in his lifetime, earning the nickname “Opera House John.” A significant number of his estimated 500 buildings, and including an estimated 100 atmospheric theatres, have been destroyed.
The Woodlawn Theatre was his second to last theatre to be developed. Mr. Eberson also designed the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio.
NOTABLE SHOWS
On October 24, 1960, John Wayne hosted the world premiere of his film The Alamo at the Woodlawn Theatre. Other notable films that premiered at The Woodlawn Theatre include Velvet Nation with Mickey Rooney and Elizabeth Taylor, Lawrence of Arabia with Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, and Anthony Quinn, and Doctor Zhivago with Julie Christie and Omar Sharif.
In 1986, the Woodlawn Theatre premiered many live music performances that included The Red Hot Chili Peppers and the first laser-show tribute to Pink Floyd while hosting a series of rock, jazz, and blues concerts for over a decade.