VOICE YOUR OPPOSITION TO DEMOLITION!

Over the weekend, Arthouse Houston learned that a new property owner and investor plan to demolish the beloved, historic Garden Oaks Theater. We need your voice now. Please sound the alarm: send urgent emails and make calls to the investment companies and city officials above. Ask the new owners to preserve this irreplaceable neighborhood treasure, and consider a long-term lease or sale to Arthouse Houston so it can serve as a community arts center and cinema for future generations.

Arthouse Houston has already reached out to the new owner’s representative to request an email address to share a pitch deck and a formal letter of interest. As a Houston-based nonprofit, Arthouse Houston is committed to working with neighbors, local leaders, and supporters across the city to preserve and protect this theater for Houston. As an owner or long-term tenant, Arthouse Houston could apply for historic designations that may offer tax credits of up to 45% for preserving the theater’s historic elements (including any required asbestos abatement). With historic designation, the owners could receive significant financial incentives and pursue legal protections for the building. In Houston, only property OWNERS can file for protection—which is why we urgently need them at the table.

The Garden Oaks Theater is one of several post-war Houston theaters designed for the Interstate Circuit by H.F. Pettigrew and John A. Worley of the Dallas firm Pettigrew & Worley, alongside its sister cinema, the River Oaks Theatre. It is a classic example of streamlined Art Deco design—an architectural gem that connects Houston’s everyday streetscape to its cinematic past.

The Garden Oaks opened its doors on July 10, 1947. Its premiere feature was “The Sea of Grass,” starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn—a glamorous beginning for what would become a beloved neighborhood landmark.

We believe the Garden Oaks Theater deserves protection, restoration and a future as part of our city's culture, not a wrecking ball.

Read the recent Houston Chronicle Article here.

Hello Houston Interview 2/12

Read comments about Garden Oaks Theater - Cinema Treasures