Renovation efforts continue in the Texas Theater

When the new owner of the Texas Theater, Jon Garrett, began renovating, he soon realized there was more to be done than he initially thought.

“We came in with the idea that we would fix it cosmetically, repair some stuff, and quickly figured out that we needed to gut the whole thing,” he said. “What’s taken the longest is pulling up all the concrete, redoing all of the plumbing, all of the electrical, all of the lighting. It was built in the 1890s, and to my knowledge, I don’t think anyone has come in here and done what needs to be done, which is gut it and bring it up to code and up to current standards.”

He hopes by doing this, the theater will be usable for another 100 years. His goal is to bring in some modern touches while also keeping the classic style of the theater. Throughout the process, Garrett hired a variety of local consultants.

“We wanted local people to work on this project,” he said. “It’s their town, and they’ll come to a show here and look at whatever they did and know they were a part of it.”

New sound equipment was bought, and the production booth was moved from the first floor to the second. The original seats were taken out, and Garrett expects to be able to seat about 220 people once their new seats come in, with seating available on both the second and first floors.

Just last week, they poured the concrete for the new, expanded bathrooms. Garrett said he didn’t want people to have to wait in a long line to use the restroom during a show.

The stage’s broken boards were replaced and painted, and they built removable platforms to cover the existing set of stairs on either side of the stage, allowing the option for a full stage. He also exposed the original brick behind the stage.

“I love how it looks as the backdrop,” he said. “It shows the history of the multiple fires that this building has had over the years. It’s got that old burnt brick. We like history, and we like to show stuff like this and not cover it up.”

Multiple curtain options and a removable screen will be installed for the stage.

There will be a bar downstairs for people to purchase drinks and small concessions, but Garrett wants attendees to eat dinner at the restaurants in downtown Waxahachie. An additional bar will be located in a small room on the third floor for attendees sitting on the second floor. The room will have a window in it, so one can still watch the show while standing in line. It will also double as a VIP room for artists.

Throughout the theater, there will be several places for attendees to sit on barstools during the show. On the first floor, Garrett added an exclusive VIP section at the back of the theater, which will have a row of seats at the front and a row of couches in the back. He also added an ADA section just to the right of the VIP section.

Garrett hopes the theater will be used for concerts, plays, movie screenings, comedy shows, live sports broadcasts and more.

“We put a big importance on it being an experience,” he said. “My vision from the start was when people come in here, I want them to feel like they’re going into a different world. Life is hard, busy and tough, but when you go to a show here, you’re sitting in a seat and you’re hearing the music, all that other stuff just fades away for a while, and to me, that’s special.”

One of Garrett’s goals is for the theater to become a space for big artists to do a smaller, more intimate show.

“It is a small venue, but our goal is to make this a dot on the map, to make it unique for the artists and for the audience,” Garrett said. “It offers them a chance to get back to their roots and maybe play an acoustic show.”

Tile and carpet still need to be placed throughout the theater. The chairs should arrive in the next couple months, and a new exterior sign should arrive around Jan. 1. If they stay on track, cosmetically, they should be finished in January, he said.

They have already begun booking shows for as early as March and hope to hold a grand opening in the first couple months of 2023. The theater’s first booking was with Wilemon STEAM Academy for its spring play in May. Garrett has hired Tim Eaton to help manage booking shows, and Eaton has “lots of connections” in the TV and Texas music scene, he said.

Garrett and his wife, Alyssa, are also planning for their next project. In September, they closed on the historic Sears building downtown, known today as “Happy’s Warehouse,” where they plan to create a bookstore coffee shop on the first floor. They are still discussing plans for the upper floor with possibilities for office spaces or lofts and will begin working in the building after the new year, Garrett said.

For updates on the renovation process, follow @TexasTheaterWaxahachie on Facebook.

Originally published December 6, 2022 - https://www.waxahachiesun.com/business/renovation-efforts-continue-in-the-texas-theater/article_866bc4c8-7530-11ed-958a-57569acf669e.html