Lantex Theater – Main Street Llano

By Winnie Tate-Morgan

(Data below is told from two standpoints: first a more historical viewpoint - that of Winnie Tate-Morgan - and second from a more recent time by Jerry Crabtree. Note from Llano Co Coordinator: the name”Lantex” can also be seen spelled as “Lan-Tex”, depending on where viewed.)

If a citizen who frequented the streets of Llano in the late 1800's could somehow be transported to the town today, they would have no trouble recognizing the area along West Main Street which sits just north of the square; as the buildings have changed but little. Llano is not a reconstructed old west town but an authentic one.

The area we write about today is the present site which houses the Lantex Theater. The site has been host to a number of businesses dating back to at least 1880 when a wide box building, divided into two sections was constructed. Researchers have not always been able to determine which section a business operated in. We do however know that beginning in 1882

Clint Breazeale operated the Parlour Saloon in one half and the City Barber Shop in the other.

In the 1890's we find a grocery store and a tin shop. We also know Callaway’s Café operated in the building in the mid 19'teens, and in the 1920's there was a Dr’s office and a meat market.

In 1927 the property then owned by Mrs. Heard, was sold to S. D. Rainer and George Shaw and the old building was then torn down. Rainer and Shaw announced their intent to construct a theater and play house for Llano on Main Street. They contracted the construction with a local builder, J. R. Blackmore.

An article in the February 10, 1927, Llano News described the future structure to be of Spanish style and built of stucco; have a balcony seating 75 and an auditorium seating 290. The article described the stage area and orchestra pit, indicating the owners had planned for live performances from the very beginning.

A contest was held, with members of the community submitting their ideas for the title of the new theater. The winner was to receive $10 in gold and be announced at the grand opening on May 19, 1927. Two entrants had submitted the name “Lantex,” Aubrey Rapensburg and “Little James Carl.” Rapensburg’s was entered first, so he was the winner. Tickets for the opening movie, “The Fourth Commandment”, were 30 cents for adults and 10 cents for children.

In 1951 the building burned almost to the ground with only the front wall left standing. Rex Wootan, owner at that time, rebuilt and remodeled it extensively. And most recently the City of Llano has remodeled the furnishings and interior.

The theater has been owned and operated by various entities, Carl Garner, R. N. Smith Theaters, Inc., Rex Wootan, and the City of Llano, but always under the original name - The Lantex, selected almost 82 years ago.

Today the City of Llano owns the building and Llano’s Main Street Volunteers bring new blockbusters movies once a month to the single screen, and The Llano County Opry features well known country singers once a month.

Sources:

http://www.lantextheater.com/index.pl?id=2174&isa=Category&op=show

Cobwebs and Corner Stones by Phyllis Whitt Almond & Sarah Oatman Franklin

1976, Herring Printing, Kerrville, TX

Brief History of Lantex Theater

By Jerry Crabtree

The site has been occupied by a building since 1896; at various times such businesses as a livery, a saloon and an auto repair shop have operated there.  In 1927 the Shaw Brothers built the current structure, naming it the Lan-Tex Theater.  If memory serves, the next owner was Rex Wooten, from about 1950 to 1970.  The Theater was then acquired by the Salas family, who ran the show until 1982, when it was permanently closed.

The Theater was purchased about 1990 by the Calvary Hill Baptist Church of Kingsland, which used it as a church mission until 1996.  The local amateur theater group (Llano Community Performing Arts Group) purchased the Theater in July 1997 with a grant from the Llano Economic Development Committee.  We then hired a couple recently moved to Llano to operate the Theater, opening on October 10, 1997 with the Tommy Lee Jones film "Men in Black".  The Theater grossed over $80,000, not including concessions, in its first year, but attendance gradually declined.

By 2002 the LCPAG had disbanded, turning the Theater back over to the City of Llano, which has operated the Theater in several modes (by contract, etc).  The City now continues to show movies once or twice a month on weekends, with concessions sold by the Llano Main Street Improvement group as one of their fund-raising activities.

Beginning in 1999, the Hillbilly Hits Fan Club (out of KNEW Radio in Brady) has put on a monthly "opry".  Tracy Pitcox, a KNEW disc jockey, organizes and promotes the oprys.  The Theater, which seats 425, is very popular among attendees to the oprys, drawing people from all over Texas and many states.  Country artists such as Johnny Rodrigues, Stonewall Jackson, Willie Nelson, Floyd Tillman and Ray Price have performed at the Llano County Opry.

… End …