Avalon Theater
107 Main Street,
McLean,
TX
79057
107 Main Street,
McLean,
TX
79057
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The American Theatre in McLean, Texas opened on November 10, 1927. Following a Streamline Moderne style makeover, it reopened as the Avalon Theatre on March 25, 1936 with Fred Astaire in “Follow the Fleet”. It got another refresh in 1944. It was closed in January 1967. It was demolished August 12, 2017.
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Lost Memory
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A 1992 photo of the Avalon.
www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/2204532493
The Avalon in January 1997:
View link
The Avalon was in operation by the late 1920s. An item in Boxoffice of October 13, 1945, said that its owner of 17 years, E.R. Adams, had recently sold the house. The side walls of the building do look quite old. The zig-zag decoration on the facade was undoubtedly the result of a later remodeling, but I can’t find anything in Boxoffice indicating when that took place.
Photo added credit Bo Wiklund.
2017 article with demolition & condition photos. I’ll transfer them to photos section in case link goes dead.
https://www.route66news.com/2017/08/13/avalon-theatre-mclean-torn/?fbclid=IwAR3wg3w0lGecTJ0G2x8A5WxCY0y5x-zUreutAJ2BKGquo4brKUeFBcHjK_k
The Legion Theatre was a long-running silent movie house in downtown. It moved to new digs in 1927 with a naming contest. Dorthy Cantrill took home $10 in gold (about $3,300 in the mid-2020s) for “American Theater” at launch November 10, 1927.
The venue got a major streamline moderne makeover by its new operators reopening as the New Avalon Theatre that launched on March 25, 1936 with “Follow the Fleet.” It was refreshed in 1944 and got a widescreen late in 1953 to show CinemaScope films. All ads and references to the theater are discontinued in 1967. As that times out with the end of a 50-year leasing cycle, I’d say that’s your better closing date.