Campaign underway in McGregor to restore longest standing motion picture theatre in the state

MCGREGOR, Texas (KWTX) - A campaign is underway to restore the longest standing motion picture theatre in the state and it’s located right in Central Texas, in McGregor.

Since 1912, The Texas Theatre has sat in downtown McGregor. However, it hasn’t been used for its original purpose in decades.

Renee Flores is a longtime McGregor resident and says she has never seen a movie inside the theatre. “It has been that long. Since I can remember, it hasn’t been open.” Flores is also a board member on this project.

Which is why the “Save the Texas” campaign was formed, and they are finally in the phase of taking action.

“Me as a resident here as well, we’ve looked at The Texas and said ‘I wish we could open that.’ So we are now taking those steps. We’ve got the chairs renovated,” Flores explains.

To make the dream a reality, it requires money and a lot of it so they are getting creative with the way they can raise funds while also getting the community excited about this historical remodel.

“We’ve also thought about having people come and they could have a seat in honor of someone,” Flores says.

She says, however, she already is seeing an army of support from the community as they take on this project.

"I know McGregor would love to have this back open and use it and have it be a staple here in downtown," Flores says.

All with the hope that this theatre can be enjoyed for generations to come.

“To me, it’s exciting. Because I want to bring this back to our community. I want my daughter to enjoy it, her and her friends and her generation,” Flores says.

There was supposed to be a showing of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life' Saturday night at the theatre to get people excited about what’s to come. Unfortunately, the weather canceled that event.

They do hope to bring a movie viewing experience to the community in the spring.

If you would like to help save The Texas Theatre, click here.

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