Port Theater
La Porte, Texas

The Original Port Theater Opening    On July 25, 1936 the first Port Theater opened it's doors to the public. It was located at the 200 block of West Main Street.

A few years later, the theater became inadequate and needed to be replaced, so construction of the “new” Port Theater began.

The Replacement Port Theater Grand Opening    On September 16, 1948 the new replacement Port Theater first lit its marquee, becoming a cultural landmark for the community. It's located at 430 W. Main St. at the intersection of 4^th St.

Fond Memories    I remember watching Star Wars there in 1977, at the tender young age of 11. The manager at the time was Louis R. "Doodles" Rigby, former mayor of La Porte. I remember the large consession stand, as well as the Watling penny scale in the lobby.

Closure of Port Theater - 1978    On October 1, 1978, the movie Grease became the last movie shown by the Port Theater.

Spanish Language Movies - 1983    The theater was sold and began screening Spanish language movies under the name, Peliculas Mexicanas, but closed soon after.

Twinned    At some point, the theater was twinned and operated by Tercar Theaters, then later shut down and sold again.

A Church    In the 1990s, the theater became Confrontation Church of God in Christ. The owners replaced the theater seating with modern purple seats, built a stage, and replaced the classic 3-window pane entrance doors with modern aluminum and glass commercial doors.

Closed Again    The church congregation moved out in 2015, and once again the building went up for sale.

Live Music?    The building was purchased again around 2021. The new owner had aspirations for it to become a live music venue, but it never came to fruition.

2023-Present    The building went back on the market around 2023, and has been for sale since.