Since 1919, the walls of the Cameo have heard every sound from the notes of Count Basie, Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith, to the dialogue of Native Son, the sermon’s of Rev. White-owned theater to open its doors to African Americans in San Antonio. Paul’s Square area was the Cameo theater, the first Our web site is Joe Vogel on Jat 1:00 amĪ neighborhood Discovery Tours guidebook published in 2002 by the City of San Antonio’s Office of Cultural Affairs has the following to say about the Cameo:“One of the focal points of the old St. The adjacent building has also been restored to its 1908 glory and functions in tandem with the theatre for larger events. The theatre is now an event facility that can be rented for private receptions, screenings, conventions and the like. Long time patrons have said it is fancier now than when it was built. There was actually very little left of the interior, so it has been decorated in that style as a supposition of what might have been. The interior has been refurbished with the main color being deep burgundy, into the Art Deco Egyptian style. More recent performers have been Metallica, Guns 'n’ Roses, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Susan Vega, and Stan Getz. It opened as a live theatre in 1980, and has been in mostly continuous operation since. After the theatre closed it was turned into a porno theatre, then a Temple of Islam. They also had “bread night” and “china night” with giveaways for each ticketholder. The Cameo was built with both a vaudeville stage and theatre screen, as vaudeville had not yet died in the South. The street was renumbered in the ‘60s when the interstate 37 went in, so both sets of building addresses are correct for their respective dates. It was built as the city’s first and only theatre for black audiences in 1940. Today the Cameo Theatre is called the Cameo Center and hosts live theatre, concerts, and special events.įrom the Cameo Theatre Corporation: We have owned the building since the late seventies. On Apit was renamed Cinne Arts Theatre, opening with “I Am Curious Yellow”. The Art Deco style was maintained throughout the lobby and auditorium both in color scheme and lighting fixtures. The Cameo Theatre had a nice sized lobby and a single floor auditorium. The same with the lower section of the box office. The portion along the lower front of the theatre was done in a checkered tile in red and white. The main entrance was a dark blue color and there was a free standing box office. There was a strip of cream color that divided the upper and lower floors of the building and came to a slight V-shape over the entrance with the words “Cameo” on each side. There was a vertical sign with “Cameo” on it in the upper portion of the front façade. The lower portion of the upper façade had two windows set in the center and in a dark royal blue. On the upper portion there was a diamond pattern in two tone blue set against a darker blue background. The upper portion was set in and came to a point at the top. The front of the theatre in its Art Deco style is what sets the theatre off. The Cameo Theatre was opened in 1941 as an African-American movie theatre, operated by the Bijou Amusement Company. Paul’s Square in downtown across from Sunset Station Depot. “We had a lease renewal coming up,” Handren said, noting that theaters reliant on art films especially are having a tougher time post-pandemic.This very unique theatre, which was constructed in 1940, is located near St. Santikos CEO Tim Handren said a dearth of new films that fit the Bijou’s arthouse niche didn’t help. Multiple factors likely contributed to the decline, including the pandemic and the challenge malls have faced even before COVID-19 in attracting customers. Santikos saw its business shrink at Bijou. “We did know that that was their plan,” Balcones Heights Mayor Suzanne de Leon said. Balcones Heights officials, however, were bracing for the closure.Īnd while Santikos’ exit is a loss for the city, its leaders are already pursuing potential new uses for one of the landmark anchors of the more-than-60-year-old Wonderland of the Americas mall. SAN ANTONIO – Moviegoers were caught by surprise this week when Santikos Entertainment posted a note on Bijou Cinema Bistro’s front door indicating the company planned to shutter the movie theater.
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