2015 News Articles:
Click the links below to take you to the article you want to read and discover everything that happened in 2015!
Sunday, May 24th, 2015:
Wallace theater Project
Once a hangout for eager kids and adults alike, the Wallace Theater has the potential to become a focal point for the community again. The Wallace was one of five theaters and drive-ins that were in operation here decades ago, said Alycyn Keeling, project manager for the theater. “It’s amazing that Levelland once supported five theaters,” Keeling told members of the Noon Rotary Club this week. The theater opened in 1928 and went through its first major renovation in 1948. That renovation left the building with its current artwork on the walls.
In 1952, on its 34th anniversary, the theater’s owner received letters of congratulations from Walt Disney and Bob Hope. “They knew about the Wallace Theater that Mr. Blankenship ran,” she said. In the 1970s, when multiplex theaters started to become popular, a “drop down ceiling” was installed, along with a second screen. The Wallace operated until closing in 1982. The last movie shown there was “E.T.” Keeling said plans for the Wallace include restoring the original ceiling and opening the building for movies, concerts, plays, guest speakers and other events. The restored theater will have about 300 seats and another 150 in the balcony. “We will be a theater and live concert venue,” she said. “We can bring in all sorts of speakers. One of our top priorities is to make it a sustainable business.” Keeling said the impact of the arts on communities is impressive. A study of regions by Americans for the Arts found that spending in the North Texas Region in 2010 by audiences totaled more than $216 million. The population of the region was more than 5.8 million. That supported 15,202 full-time equivalent jobs.“Locally, arts promote economic growth,” she said.
Re-opening the Wallace would bring new opportunities to the city, she said. “We’re opening up opportunities to bring in dollars to our downtown,” Keeling told the Rotary Club members. The Fox Theatre in Tucson, Ariz., generates $3.4 million in direct spending in that city’s downtown each year. Nearly half of that is spent at businesses other than the theater. The Wallace could draw people from across the county and from Lubbock, and that could attract more patrons for downtown businesses, she added. Keeling said people who come to Levelland for events at the Mallet Event Center often ask where they can go for entertainment. “Unfortunately the answer is Lubbock,” she said. “That’s lost revenue for our community. We have an opportunity to get them spending here.” The arts are a source for new ideas and they benefit communities in other positive ways. She said the theater would help “build our community” and involve residents in positive interaction. Keeling said there are numerous grants available, and she is already looking at those funding sources. “I believe this project is an opportunity to be of service to the community,” Keeling said. “The arts will also rev our economic engine.” She said the target date for reopening the theater is June 2017.
Wednesday, July 8th 2015:
Theater Renovated in 1949
On Wednesday, October 5, 1949 the Wallace Theater in Levelland, TX reopened as “West Texas’ Finest”, fully renovated to be the movie palace Wallace Blankenship had been dreaming of since 1926. At the time the Wallace Theater was a state of the art theater that boasted E-7 Simplex projectors, 4 star Western Electric Sound, fully upholstered opera chairs, and most impressively fully automatic (winter and summer) air conditioning. The renovated theater included deep carpets to hide foot traffic sounds, a cry room and a smoking room. The lights of the marquee were described to be as bright as any you would envision on Broadway in New York City. This grand movie palace, however, started with humble beginnings. The original Wallace in Levelland was built in 1925, just across the street where Levelland Time is now located. The first cooling system for a Levelland theater was an old dempster windmill at the back of the theater. It was driven by a three-horse electric motor and pulled in fresh air from the shady side of the building. The location of the first Wallace Theatre in Levelland came at the suggestion of Judge John H. Doyle, the county’s first judge.
According to the later Orlin Brewer, editor of the Levelland Daily Sun News in 1957, “It must have been a bit of a gamble for Wallace Blankenship. But Wallace didn’t hesitate for a minute at the suggestion of Judge Doyle.” Wallace started working toward locating the theater here the very next day. “I felt like Levelland would be a good town and would be the county seat” Blankenship was quoted as saying. The Wallace where it stands today was built in 1928 and the original Wallace across the street was renamed the Rose and eventually the Old Rose when the New Rose was built next door. By 1957, Wallace Blankenship had built the largest small town theater chain in America. “That a business enterprise such as he built could originate in Levelland will forever be a credit to the city, just as Blankenship was a credit to the county and area” said Brewer. Blankenship saw the potential in Levelland and that great potential is being realized and still thriving today. Blankenship was also a man quick to pass credit on to others. He talked about what a significant role his wife and sons played in the success of his business, and always expressed gratitude to this customers and his employees. They were always at the top of his list. In looking back through the history of the success of Blankenship and on the news that ran around the 34th anniversary of the chain in 1957, it is impressive to read and see the outpouring of support from local business neighbors congratulating him on his achievements and contri-butions to the community.
WALLACE THEATER
to be installed in the ceiling of the lobby to support the second story and additional steel work was done in the loft to reinforce the roof. The Wallace has hosted two public events so far in 2015, but sees that the Levelland Area Artists Show “Celebrating Levelland and West Texas” on Early Settlers Day will be the first big event open to the public with the recent renovations. “We are so excited to showcase the work of our local artists and display the wealth of talent that exists in the area,” Keeling said In addition to the show on Early Settlers Day, the Wallace will be open from 11:30am-1:30pm and 4:00pm-6:00pm on weekdays until Friday, July 31. The Wallace plans to continue hosting and showcasing artists throughout the year. In addition, the Wallace plans to host at least one event per-month on a smaller scale that exhibits the types of events that will occur once the full renovations are complete. Currently plans are being devel-oped for a Ladies Night Out event in partnership with KLVT in August and concerts and other shows throughout the fall.
The goal for the Wallace, other than its reopening, is to once again be a source of pride and inspiration for the community. It will be a gathering place for the community, where people can find entertainment without hav-ing to go to Lubbock and can enjoy the company of their friends and neighbors. The theater will be a cultural center in the community where patrons will have the opportunity to find new and exciting areas of entertain-ment. It can revive the nostalgia and memories that so many members of the community cher-ish, and will also strive to create new memories and nostalgia for this generation. “There are so many people that will walk into this theater and they are transported back to their childhood and high school days,” Keeling said. “They have these great memories and they can point to a seat and say I sat there and watched a movie. There’s so much history.” In addition to developing the programming at the Wallace, a large part of the project is working to preserve and retell the history of the Wallace. Keeling and others are still working to identify people in photographs and are looking for more old photos and news about the Wallace. “This is an area where we need a lot of help from the community,” she said. “We’ve had a great response so far, but we still need help with more of the pieces.” The Wallace has applied for 501c3 status to be able to apply for grants and accept individual donations. The goal is to be fully operational by the end of 2017, but that will largely depend on the ability to receive grants and raise money necessary to fund the renovations.
