Historic Theaters & Drive-Ins

Constructed 1924. The Allen Theater was built on the site of the former Allen Opera House that was destroyed by fire in 1922. The first talkies were played at the Allen Theater in 1937 and the first concession stand was installed in 1947. The two story building was a cream Read More…

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 Read More…

Constructed 1920. The Chief Theater on Coal Ave., originally opened in 1920. It could seat 650 patrons. In 1936, the Chief was completely remodeled in Pueblo Deco style. Its owner at the time R.E. Griffith, also owned the El Rancho Hotel. Long-closed as a movie house, the former Chief Theater Read More…

Constructed 1935. Formerly known as the Chief Theater, the Mora movie theater was housed within a business block built by John Hanosh in the heart of the village across the street from the historic Mora County Courthouse. The Hanosh complex included a mercantile store and small upstairs hotel. The community Read More…

Constructed 1941. The El Cortez Theater was built in 1941 and had a seating capacity of 580. It was closed for many, many years, but revitalized and re-opened in 1995 to show first-run movies once again.This little town of Truth or Consequences, NM (pop. 7,500+), formally Hot Springs, NM, and Read More…

Constructed 1928. The 460-seat El Morro Theater opened in 1928, featuring a Spanish Colonial Revival exterior. The El Morro was named for the famous El Morro rock cliff near Zuni Pueblo also called “Inscription Rock.” The theater was designed by the Boller Brothers architectural firm of Kansas, who designed over Read More…

Constructed 1942. Opened in February 18, 1942 as the El Rancho Theater. The theater accommodated 600 patrons. The opening movie was “Skylark” starring Claudette Colbert. The El Rancho was later named the Deming Theater and after being remodeled in the 1970s called the Sunn Theater. Heavens Beauty Salon now operates Read More…

Constructed 1930. This little theater is a gem. Constructed as an Atmospheric style theatre, in the style of a medieval Spanish castle, the building was designed by the Albuquerque, New Mexico, architectural firm George Williamson, Inc. It was built for the partnership of Dr. L.A. Hubbard and Thomas F. Murphy. Read More…

Constructed 1941. The El Rey Theater is a historic, live music venue. The El Rey opened on June 27, 1941. By the mid-1970s it was known as the Reel Theater. The popular venue was owned originally by Luigi Puccini a cousin of the famed Italian composer Giacomo Puccini. The theater Read More…

Constructed 1934. The El Sol Theater was the second theater built for the Silco Theaters chain. It was owned by Edward W. Ward and constructed in 1934.The El Sol Theatre was built as the second theatre in the Silco Theatres chain, owned by Edward W. Ward. It was constructed during Read More…

Constructed 1948. The Fiesta Drive-In originally opened in 1948 with a single screen. The massive original screen tower had a mural of a Mexican man and woman dancing and was animated with neon lighting. Above them was the theater’s name in streamlined style lettering. The Fiesta Drive-In closed in 1970 Read More…

Constructed 1950. Flickinger Center for Performing Arts is a 590-seat performing arts center in downtown Alamogordo, New Mexico. Originally the Sierra Movie Theater, built in the 50s, it was purchased by Margaret Flickinger and given to the community in 1988. It was renovated and converted to a multipurpose performing arts Read More…

Constructed 1956 The Fort Union Drive-In has made the conversion to digital projection, but this was the story in 2013. New technology requires that the theater undergoes an upgrade to digital equipment and projection room. There are around 350 drive-ins left in the nation, and only two left in New Read More…

Constructed 1950. A fantastic example of a small town movie palace. The 1950 Gila Theatre was the first movie house in the area to feature a built-in candy concession, it sports a combination of standard auditorium layout which rises around the entrances at the rear to a stadium-style arrangement. The Read More…

Constructed 1966. The Guild first opened in 1966. It was originally called the Guild Art Theatre. After undergoing several changes, currently the Guild is an independent theater. 3405 Central Avenue NE Albuquerque, NM 87106 | 505-255-1848 Image by Lindsay Waite.

Constructed 1950. The Highland Theater was opened on April 20, 1950. Seating inside was provided for 1,188 patrons on a stadium plan, with a raised step section at the rear. The Highland closed as a movie theater in 1995, became a performing arts venue for about a decade and was Read More…

Constructed 1927. The KiMo Theatre is one of our Albuquerque’s finest treasures and is home to a variety of dance, music, film, theater, cinema and more. The KiMo was opened on September 19, 1927 with an original seating capacity of 1,321. A contest selected the name, which means King of Read More…

Constructed 1912 Though it opened in 1912 as the Mutual Theater, the Kiva Theater is the second-oldest movie theater still operating in New Mexico, being seven years younger than the Fountain Theater in Mesilla. There is a photo of the auditorium of the Kiva Theatre in the April 29, 1939, Read More…

Constructed 1947. In 1947, a first-class, state-of-the-art movie theater, Land of the Sun, opened in Artesia. It was operated by the Gilchrist family until 1975. Eventually it came into ownership by Carmike Cinemas, and by the late 1990s, the theater had become rundown, inside and out. Artesia MainStreet and Carmike Read More…

Constructed 1948. The Lea Theater was built in 1948 in Lovington as the post-WWII economy and local oil discoveries launched a boom in Lea County. Situated across the street from the impressive Lea County Courthouse, The Lea Theater is an excellent example of the mid-century modern International Style that was Read More…

Constructed 1938. Now a church, the Lobo Theater opened on August 19, 1938. The Lobo was a popular movie house for the nearby UNM campus student body and a premier venue for independent, classic and cult films. The Lobo hosted popular Oscar award night telecasts through the 1980s and 1990s, Read More…

Constructed 1916. The Luna Theater was built in 1916, and opened as the Mission Theater. The building replaced an earlier mercantile building that stood on the corner and burned to the ground. The building is in a Mission Revival style with Art Deco fixtures that were added in the 1930s. Read More…

Constructed 1937. The September 18, 1937, issue of Boxoffice had this to say about the Lux Theatre. Souris & Ade are opening the Lux at Grants, NM, a house of 518 seats. The town has been without a theatre since 1930. Another item in the same issue lists various pieces Read More…

Constructed 1921. The Lyceum Theater opened in 1921 with 899 seats, built for E.F. Hardwick with stage capacity for vaudeville shows and movies. It was designed in the Mission Revival style by the Boller Brothers, a popular architectural firm specializing in movie theaters. The Lyceum showed its first talking picture Read More…

Constructed 1925. The Mesa Theater opened in 1925 with seating for 980 patrons. A major fire in 1948 gutted the interior but the Mesa was rebuilt. Operator E.R Hardwick said that everything would be replaced new including the four (segregated) rest rooms. After closing in the 1960s, the Mesa was Read More…

Constructed 1935. The Ocotillo Theater was built in 1935 by theater owner and developer C.W. Bartlett and his son Ray, who built and operated several historic theaters in Artesia. The Ocotillo was converted to a popular cafeteria in the 1950s. The Artesia Arts Council acquired the Ocotillo in 2001 and Read More…

Constructed 1935. Built in 1935, this old white front Art Deco theatre is still in operation. Single screen, seating a little under 700. The theatre has a squared marquee with no attraction panels but has a good sized vertical in all red like the marquee with white neon lettering spelling Read More…

Constructed 1932. The Onate Theater opened in 1932 with a seating capacity of 600 patrons. Named for the original Spanish colonizer of New Mexico, the Onate served as Belen’s main cinema until it was closed in the early 1990s. Local entrepreneur Anthony Baca purchased the theater in 1993 and converted Read More…

Constructed 1947. The Plains Theatre in Roswell was the main movie house in town. It opened in 1947. Seating was provided for 1,000 all on a single floor, and there was a small 30 seat balcony, located next to the projection booth, which was for the exclusive use of Negro Read More…

Constructed 1936. Closed cinema. Southwest Plaza Taos, NM 87571 Photo by Elmo Baca.

Constructed 1917. The Princess is located on E. Main seating a little over 700. From the looks of the theatre facade it went through a makeover sometime in the early 50’s. The front facade is in a cream color with chocolate and deep brown trim and accent lines. The marquee Read More…

Constructed 1926. The Rio Grande Theatre came to life on July 29, 1926 with the opening of the silent film, Mare Nostrum, (A powerful story of the sea), with pipe organ accompaniment. The original builders of the Rio Grande Theatre were C. T. Seale and B. G. Dyne who acquired Read More…

Constructed 1937 The October 9, 1937, issue of Boxoffice Magazine said that the Graham Brothers Theatre Supply Company of Denver had shipped various items to the new Serf Theatre in Las Vegas, NM. These included 500 seats, 340 yards of carpeting, two blowers and motors, two curtains with tracks and Read More…

Constructed 1915. The Shuler Theater is a historic theater located in downtown Raton. Home to the local performing arts scene, you can see live plays, dramas, comedies, concerts and musical theater suitable for all ages. The foyer of the theater features eight mural panels created by Manville Chapman in 1934 Read More…

Constructed 1923. The 500-seat Liberty Theater in downtown Silver City in the the southwestern corner of New Mexico, first opened in 1923 and was re-named the Silco Theater in 1926. The new name of the theater was inspired by the local silver and copper mining industry. By the 1960s, the Read More…

Constructed 1940. Located on Main Street in downtown Clovis, the State Theater is a two-story building with a concrete foundation and a barrel roof masked by a stepped parapet. Constructed in 1940 in a modernistic style, the most striking feature of the theater is a circular glass block tower rising Read More…

Constructed 1941. Designed by El Paso architect Guy Frazer, the State Theater on Main Street in Las Cruces opened on Christmas Eve, 1941. It had a seating capacity of 563 patrons and was built at a cost of $30,000. The theater is a modest and intimate expression of Art Deco Read More…

Constructed 1924. The Sunshine Theater, opened on May 1, 1924 as Albuquerque’s first big movie palace. The theater and high rise building block Sunshine Building were designed by renowned El Paso architect Henry C. Trost and have dominated the downtown Albuquerque skyline and historic Route 66 for nearly a century. Read More…

Constructed 1948. Built and run as a family movie theater until 1982, the Totah Theater had a seating capacity of 500. The Totah was home of the San Juan Stage Company for a few years then closed and used for storage. The Totah was purchased by former Farmington Mayor Tom Read More…

Constructed 1959 The West Theater is the last of the three theaters in operation in Grants. The West was originally a single screen theater that was converted to a twin screen cinema. The balcony was converted to the second screen. The theater opened in May 1959, and built at a Read More…

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 Read More…