The Majestic 100 Accessibility Fund:
The mission of the Majestic 100 Accessibility Fund is to provide subsidized or free access to the Majestic Theatre to performing arts companies and local schools who are making impact by connecting to their local community through performing arts. Please consider giving a small donation.
To make a gift to the Majestic 100 Accessibility Fund:
The building on Elm Street is actually the third theater bearing the name The Majestic. The original was built on the corner of Commerce Street and St. Paul in 1905 by Karl St. John Hoblitzelle as part of his Interstate Amusement Company, a chain of vaudeville houses.
After it burned in 1916, Hoblitzelle hired renowned Chicago theater architect John Eberson to design its replacement that still stands today. Until the new building was completed in 1921, the old Opera House at Main and St. Paul served as the second Majestic. The Majestic originally offered vaudeville acts twice daily during the winter season and movies during the summer. As the vaudeville era came to an end in the 1930s, Hoblitzelle began to present movies in his theatres.
Theatre Row at night – Capitol, Rialto, Palace, Tower, and Majestic Theaters line Elm Street, 1954, Dallas Chamber of Commerce Collection
The Majestic is the last theater of what was once the glittering Theater Row, Dallas’ historic entertainment center – originally home to nine theaters and vaudeville houses on Elm Street during the golden age of movies from the early 1900s to the 1970s. By the 1940s, Elm Street boasted more movie theaters than any other street in the country except Broadway. Several other theatres on Elm were also part of the Interstate Theatre chain.
View of marquee for Duke Ellington at the Majestic Theater, 1933.
Several big-name Black musicians, such as Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway performed at the Majestic drawing large crowds, despite racial segregation at the time. Black stars stayed in separate accommodations from the white musicians in their entourage. The engagement also included dances of separate performances for white and black audiences held at the Ice Palace in Oak Cliff.
The Renaissance Revival-style building was designed by architect John Eberson. Eberson was nationally known for his “atmospheric theaters,” including the Majestic, which often featured ceiling “skies” of mechanically controlled floating clouds and twinkling stars.
The Majestic Theatre was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It stands today as a reminder of the city’s architectural, social, and cultural heritage.
