Historic Theaters & Drive-Ins
Plaza Theater
Constructed 1936. Closed cinema. Southwest Plaza Taos, NM 87571 Photo by Elmo Baca.
Belen
Onate Theater
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…
Albuquerque
Sunshine Theater
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…
Albuquerque
Lobo Theater
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…
Albuquerque
KiMo Theater
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…
Albuquerque
Hiland Theater
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…
Albuquerque
Guild Theater
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.
Albuquerque
El Rey Theater
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…
East
Princess Theater
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…
Art Deco
Odeon Theater
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…
Art Deco
Yam Theater
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…
Clovis
State Theater
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…
Clovis
Mesa Theater
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…
Clovis
Lyceum Theater
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…
Historic Theaters & Drive-Ins
El Cortez Theater
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…
Art Deco
State Theater
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…
Downtown Las Cruces Partnership
Rio Grande Theater
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…
Alamogordo
Flickinger Center for the Performing Arts
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…
Historic Theaters & Drive-Ins
Plains Theater
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…
Historic Theaters & Drive-Ins
Lea Theater
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…