The exuberant floral and scalloped facade is the result of a 1949 remodeling. At its grand opening in 1925 showing the Coast of Folly with Gloria Swanson, the Pines had a Romanesque Revival front with three small blind arches under a sweeping large arch. Built by local contractor W. P. Berry for the Lufkin Amusement Company, the Pines showed films until 1984. A religious group used the building until 2005, and in 2007 it was acquired by the city. Conditions were desperate by then, with a collapsed roof and flooded interiors. Over a period of years, the facade and marquee were restored and the interior gutted and rebuilt as a multipurpose venue.
The three-story Masonic Building (1916) at 122 S. 1st is an early work of San Antonio–based Ralph H. Cameron (1892–1970). Projecting corner bays frame the facades like towers.