The narrow Alamo-scroll facade of the theater, wedged in next to the west corner of the White House (EP3), belies the presence of a 2,400-seat atmospheric auditorium inside, the largest and most spectacular Spanish Colonial Revival design in Texas. An ornate, multilevel lobby with quasi-Egyptian columns, a frescoed vault, and a grand split staircase makes the transition from the narrow entrance into the theater. Mozarabic columns support the proscenium arch, and side arcades simulate the walls of a Spanish garden. The largest theater between Dallas and Los Angeles when completed, the Plaza was equipped with refrigerated air-conditioning and a massive Wurlitzer organ. The last film was screened in 1976. Saved from demolition in 1986 by the El Paso Community Foundation, the Plaza was restored by the Foundation and the City of El Paso and reopened as El Paso’s performing arts center.
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Plaza Theatre Performing Arts Centre (Plaza Theater)
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