Yam Theater graphic

Constructed 1932.

Originally opened in 1932. The long-closed Yam Theater on Portales’ Main Avenue (formerly Main Street) was given a $1 million renovation between 2006 and 2011, transforming the building into a community arts center. The theater was given its unique name due to the substantial sweet potato crops in Roosevelt County at the time. Listed in Film Daily Yearbooks:1941 and 1943 editions with a seating capacity of 402. In the 1950 edition of F.D.Y. the seating capacity is 530 and the address is given as; 121 S.E. Main Street (now known as S. Main Avenue). The Yam Theater is now owned by the City of Portales.

Yam Theater mosaic

121 S. Main St. Portales, NM 88130 | 575-356-8541