Dixie Theater Building

This is the old Dixie Theater Building (830-832 Water Street).  The first mention I can find of this theater is in the January 10, 1919, newspaper so it was probably erected shortly before then.   The Dixie had wooden bleachers and and a dirt floor. I have been told it was partly open air.  In the winter a large pot-bellied stove provided the heat.

In 1925 William Brice, owner of the Dixie, announced  he would be building a modern, up-to-date theater in the near future on the site of the Dixie.  He intended to build the theater around the existing one.  The Kerrville Mountain Sun reported “Mr. Brice states that of the three months necessary to build the new theater, it will only be necessary to close the show for from two to three weeks, as by the arrangement of the new building most of the work can be handled without interfering in the least with the regular programs.”  For whatever reason, he did not followed through on this plan and instead bought property in the 700 block of Water for his new Dixie theater, which would instead be named the Arcadia.

The Dixie  theater operated here from at least 1919 to 1929. In 1926, the facade was remodeled to a “modern” Spanish style.  When remodeled, two shops were in the entrance, a shoe shop and the Dixie Confectionery.  About 1929 the Dixie closed and remained shuttered for six years.  In 1935 it was rebuilt and reopened.  The rebuilt Dixie didn’t last long, because less than 3 years later, in 1938, the old Dixie Theatre building, which contained a fruit market, cafe, and electric shop,was sold.  Later, the area that had been the theatre was taken over by the Kerrville Bakery, with stores remaining along the street.