Signs Around Town; or, How to Make One's Mark.

I'm working on several historical projects  at the moment and have gotten a little behind in posting on this blog.  I hope to get back to posting more regularly soon.

When I was in grad school we were taught that renovations to commercial buildings often only made changes to the ground floor.  If you looked up you could learn a lot about the building's history. I would add that looking down also yields clues to the past. 

In Kerrville there are many signs of the past around town, not just old buildings, but real signs. Four are shown here.  It might be fun to point these out to your children or grandchildren.  

This first sign is you may have already seen on this blog. It's the tile entry for the one story annex to Pampell's.  Once there was a jeweler here.  It wasn't the first business, but it's the one remembered.

The next sign is embedded in the step at the corner entrance to Francisco's restaurant in the Weston Building at the corner of Earl Garrett and Water streets. This sign is the reason the building is known as the Weston building instead of the Barlemann building. Charles Barlemann erected the building, but C. T. Weston, who owned it later, is the one we remember.

This is a sign you have to know about to find.  Hart's law office is upstairs over Baublit Jewelers at 719 Water Street. This sign is at the base of the stairs and can be seen through the glass door.

The Guadalupe Cafe on Water Street was a popular restaurant from 1920 until 1932, when Bill Saludis bought it and combined Bill's Lunch Room and the Guadalupe Cafe into the Manhattan Cafe.  The building the Guadalupe Cafe was in was torn down when the Chas. Schreiner Bank expanded into modern facilities. That building later housed the Bank of America until it moved to Main Street in June 2012. The only remaining part of the building that housed the cafe is this wall.   

Here we have one more sign, perhaps the most familiar of all of these. This sign over the entrance to the now-closed Arcadia Theatre on Water Street has been promising coming attractions for many decades.  The theater closed in 1988.  It is awaiting new life. Until recently, the theater was being renovated, but work has now stopped, hopefully only temporarily. This is not the first attempt at restoring or renovating this historic theater.  Can we hope that something will indeed be coming soon?

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.

The Arcadia Theatre

Located at 717 Water Street, this is the iconic Arcadia, one of the most familiar buildings in Kerrville.  This historic theatre opened June 20, 1926. The theatre included a small stage and an orchestra pit with a pipe organ. 
Something not many people know is that the  Arcadia got its name in a contest.  Over 150 suggested titles were submitted by local citizens.  The name was picked from the list by a disinterested committee. William Toups was the one suggesting the name selected.  The Kerrville Mountain Sun reported that several individuals suggested the name “Arcade,” but Mr. Toups was the only one suggesting the name Arcadia. 
 In addition to movies, the Arcadia hosted live radio and stage productions in its early years. Notable entertainers such as humorist Will Rogers, singer Elvis Presley, musician Liberace, and comedians Bob Hope and Jack Benny performed here.
Agnes Colley, who was the organist at the First Presbyterian Church and the music teacher at the Scofield School for Girls, was also the organist at the theater during the silent movie era.
More than 1000 people jammed the theatre opening night--a large percentage of Kerrville’s population.
The two-story building originally sported a mission style exterior.  Most of the original exterior trim was removed when the Arcadia was remodeled in 1948.  This was when the neon-lit marquee and tower and burgundy tile were installed. 

The theater closed in January, 1988.  It is currently undergoing renovations.

This ornate lintel, visible above the Coming Soon sign, is a remnant of the original facade, shown below.

And who was William J. Toups?  He was born 1899 in Texas, probably near Corpus Christi. In 1930 he lived with his wife Hattie at 504 Lytle Street, Kerrville, and worked as a battery man at a garage.