The Aztec Theatre, located on Main Street in Albany, Texas, was built in 1927 by Frank Whitney at a time when movies were still silent, utilizing an orchestra pit constructed below the screen for a required piano. The theater has since been renovated twice, once in 1939 and again in 1994, and today continues to host a variety of events and shows.
Frank Whitney, an Albany native and young man at the turn of the century, had a passion for the theater and for the newly emerging motion picture media. His first established show house, the Albany Theatre, was operated out of a vacant store in the early 1920s. By 1925 Whitney was making plans to construct a much more up to date movie theater space, and in March of 1926 he opened the Ritz Theatre in a converted building on Main Street.
Whitney sold the Ritz Theatre building in late 1926, just one year prior to the construction of the current Aztec Theatre structure. Completed in September of 1927, the Aztec opened with great fanfare and a full house. In the spirit of the building’s exterior design, Whitney even wore a Spanish costume.
In 1931 Frank Whitney passed away as a result of injuries sustained during a car accident. Afterwards, the Aztec was leased to H.S. Leon of Haskell, and over the course of the following years he purchased interest in the theater from the estate. By the summer of 1939, the Aztec Theatre and the land it rested on were fully his.
Not long after gaining full ownership of the theater, Leon closed the building for a short time for remodeling. It was at this time that the current interior look was first established. The surrounding walls were painted to resemble a Spanish courtyard, and the ceiling was painted blue with stars. In addition, the orchestra pit, no longer needed with the advent of ‘talkies’, was filled in with concrete.
In its heyday, the Aztec showcased a variety of films each weekend throughout the year, with both early afternoon matinees and evening show times. After the 1939 remodel, prices at the door were 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for children under 12.
Although the popularity of movies dwindled with the passing of the years and the Aztec fell into disuse for a time, the Albany community was unwilling to let such a unique and historical element of their downtown history fade. In the early 1990s, community involvement and commitment secured the money and resources for the theater’s renovation and restoration. Today the Aztec remains a vital part of Main Street and the downtown area.
