Berry Theatre
3033 Hemphill Street,
Fort Worth,
TX
76110
3033 Hemphill Street,
Fort Worth,
TX
76110
7 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 31 comments
Wow! I passed by the former site of the Berry Theater today, and I was taken aback. The corner near where it used to be is now occupied by a large, fairly new and clean Super 7-Eleven. Interesting, since there was once a conventionally-sized 7-Eleven fifty years ago at the corner of Berry and Jennings, virtually on the new store’s site. One question I have is would anyone here know who was the architect for the White/Berry Theater?
How saddening!! Some structures just don’t stand a chance to survive. Neglected by the OWNER(s), and left abandoned to rot away to the point of no saving it.. Especially in the D/FW area it seems.. Life Goes On..
The Berry Theatre was demolished July 22, 2023.
Demolition permits have been filed.
2019 Fort Worth Business Press council report on the Berry Theatre.
https://fortworthbusiness.com/real-estate/council-report-new-life-for-berry-street-theater/?fbclid=IwAR0Mo1vq5mNiT-igVpJG3LaGgqPg374ScXircmSM-zQHk7d_ZQF24nye8fE
1951 photo in below link.
https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1915395/?fbclid=IwAR3NM2-MI4wVc4N9qXpz_QRqEykYS1eBnjMDv8NgNh6Sn1oJna5GCVoWbww
The theatre is currently on the market for $650K. More details and pics at https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/3033-Hemphill-St-Fort-Worth-TX/14033737/
M.S. White was the original owner and named the theatre after himself launching on April 3, 1940. White had created the White Theatre and ran the Dal-Sec Theatre in Dallas beginning in 1934 before selling both to Interstate Theatre Corporation in 1936. The veteran film salesman’s career dated to the early 1910s and the Ft. Worth White Theatre was his return to exhibition in a new-build location which once housed an apartment complex. White retired from the exhibition business in 1951 selling off his two theaters.
On May 25, 1961, the theatre became the Berry Theatre and initially kept a policy of second-run Hollywood films and selected short subjects. The Berry would simultaneously be known as Teatro Berry in 1962 when it changed to a policy of showing Hispanic films. The Berry appears to have gone out of business in the home video era on February 21, 1988.
Listings started showing up in 1941 as White and renamed Berry in 1961.
Does anyone knows if this theater is for sale?
In the last few weeks, a nonprofit group has torn down the buildings that were attached to the theater on the north side of the building. I have since found out in speaking to someone who new more about the purchased lots that they also wanted to purchase the lots that included the Berry Theater. I found out that if they had been able to purchase the lots, their intentions were to TEAR DOWN THE BERRY THEATER. I know it’s vacant and looks awful, but I wish someone with enough money and vision would come in and restore the theater. They could make it their home, have a theater, and maybe a small art gallery in the front. I’m hoping for the best. It’s really cool to read the old stories here. Keep them coming!
A Couple of photos I took back in 2006-07.. *This was originally called The White Theatre….
Randy A Carlisle – Historical Photographer
As of late last year. Drove by it last night and it still looks the exact same.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gabegrote/4881957625/
Does anyone know who owns the building now?
This is from a couple of years ago. A hair salon is on the left and a notary public is on the right.
http://tinyurl.com/ycc6sa9
My husband, Robert Henley, was a member of the Projectionist’s Union in Ft. Worth, and worked at the Berry Theater in 1972. At that time he was showing Spanish pictures on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, and I was sitting in the little free standing ticket booth selling tickets, while he also kept our 18 month old son with him upstairs, until I closed the box office. We worked for Basil Huckabee, who also had rented the Marine Theater from a man from Dallas. Some Saturdays after the Matinee, the theater would be rented out for a stage show, with well known Spanish stars such as Tony Aguilar, who would sing to the crowd. Robert worked in nearly every movie theater and drive in in Ft. Worth, and also in Waco. Those were the good old days.
I will. I just got back from Virginia Beach and went through my brother’s pictures. I know I have seen one of him at the concession stand in the lobby. I’ll still dig and see if I can come across it.
Hello Jeanette, good to hear from you and thanks for the additional comments.
(Keep looking)
Don…
I thought I had pictures of the inside but am unable to locate any. I do know that Roy Starling, my grandfather, sold the Wings and Texan Theaters in Grand Prairie to buy the White Theater. He and my grandmother lived in Dallas and commuted to Ft Worth to run the theater. We lived on Orange St close to George C Clark Elementary school and my father ran the projection room. My brother closed the door of the ticket booth on my finger and cut the end of my finger off. My grandmother died in Jan 1962 so the theater was sold shortly before that and became the Berry Theater.
wow guys thanks for all your comments and all the info you released this put a big smile on my face. for years since I was a little kid and now a 27yr old man and after all these years ive always wanted to know the history of that theater and now its taken off my list. thank you all. jeannette is there any more pictures like the inside or something I would like to know more please.
Autographed photo of Ken Maynard to Roy Starling and his wife.
He enjoyed a long prosperous career with Monogram Pictures that began with silent films.
He died in 1974.
Again with thanks to Jeannette for permission to post this photo.
www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/349617399
Photo of an unidentified group fo men holding a “Greater Monogram Pictures” 1933-1934 banner. Monogram Pictures was a successful movie production company founded in the 1930s. It eventually became Allied Pictures and ceased operation around 1974.
The man in the front row holding the right corner of the banner could possibly be Roy Starling.
With thanks to Jeannette for the photo.
www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/346693449
Another view of the WHITE THEATER taken around 1952. With thanks to Jeannette.
www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/346384522
Two of my images of the Berry Theater when it was named the White Theater.
View link
View link
Thanks for the pictures Don. I really appreciate them. My grandparents, Roy and Lucille Starling, owned the theater when it was the White Theater. My grandfather died in Jan 1958 and my grandmother ran the theater with the help of my parents until she was too ill with breast cancer. She sold the theater in 1960-61 and that is when it became the Berry Theater. I believe at that time it became a Spanish speaking theater but I was only 7 yrs old so I am not completely sure of that. And it was white in color but the curtains that closed over the screen and the seats were made of a rich burgandy velvet fabric. I even remember our garage being full of boxes of the 3-D movie glasses that you had to wear to make the movies appear in 3-D. Thanks again for the pictures!