Elm Street's Theater Row survives in just one building now: the Majestic Theatre, here in the City Center District of Downtown Dallas. This building is a contributing property in the Harwood Street Historic District, a Dallas Landmark, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Designed by John Eberson under the direction of Karl Hoblitzelle, the Majestic was constructed in 1920 as the flagship theater for the Interstate Amusement Company, a chain of vaudeville houses.
The $2 million Renaissance Revival structure opened on April 11, 1921, with a seating capacity of 2,800. It replaced a previous Majestic that burned down on December 12, 1917; in the interim, operations moved to the Dallas Opera House, which was renamed the Majestic Theater until the new house was completed. The interior was originally divided between theater and offices, with 20,000 square feet of the upper four floors serving as the Interstate Amusement Company headquarters.
Step closer and imagine the baroque lobby and auditorium that welcomed vaudeville audiences a century ago. Notice the historic theaters and facades still lining Elm Street, the last trace of Theater Row.