Historic Theaters & Drive-Ins
Style: Mid-Century Modern
Cavern Theater
Southeast Region
Image from Elmo Baca
courtesy Carlsbad Main Street
Constructed 1951
The Cavern Theater was built in 1951 in downtown Carlsbad, New Mexico at 210 North Canyon Street, just one block north of the Eddy County courthouse square and in the heart of the downtown commercial district. The theater was designed in the International Style, a form of modernism that featured minimal ornamentation and streamlined forms. The exterior facades of the Cavern Theater are well-crafted yellow and red brick walls that include modest vertical accents on the street facade. The most prominent decorative feature of the theater is its monumental neon marquee whch soars three or more stories above Canyon Street and embraces nearly the full width of the front. The entrance and box office are organized asymmetrically and curvilinear, thus adding visual interest to the facade design. The Cavern Theater was closed in the 1990s and was donated by the Light family to the City of Carlsbad in 2013-14 for purpose of rehabilitation as a multipurpose performing arts center.
210 N. Canyon | Carlsbad, NM 88220
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