City of San Antonio Grantee
Website: http://www.majesticempire.com
(210) 226-5700
224 E. Houston St., San Antonio, TX 78205
Located in the heart of downtown San Antonio, the Majestic Theatre is the performance home of the San Antonio Symphony. Completed in 1929, the Majestic is one of the few remaining examples of the “atmospheric” movie palace, a genre of lavishly elegant theatres constructed before the Depression to house traveling vaudeville shows and the emerging entertainment medium of the motion picture.
Designed by architect John Eberson, who founded the “atmospheric” school, the Majestic features a dazzling interior that simulates a Mediterranean amphitheater in a Moorish-Baroque style. The main lobby features a two-story rotunda of ornately decorated plaster sculpture and faux woodwork. Above hangs a massive, brightly ornamented chandelier of metal and cut glass. The elaborate ornamentation is vividly evident in the auditorium, with its breathtaking collection of niches, alcoves, grottos, and sculptures, all colorfully illuminated. The orchestra section and the two-level mezzanine contain 2,400 seats, surrounded by vines, trees, birds, and lush gardens held within the ornate walls. A simulated night sky is found overhead—dark blue, speckled with twinkling stars and with wispy clouds floating in and out of view.
Majestic Theatre
224 E. Houston St.
San Antonio, TX 78205