Rescued from the wrecking ball, Plaza Theatre shines again
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The Plaza Theatre – one of the showcase historic entertainment venues of the Southwest – was close to demolition before community leaders stepped in and saved the historically significant building. “The significance of the Plaza Theatre is that it is one of the very few working atmospheric theaters,” said Eric Pearson, president and CEO of the El Paso Community Foundation. The Plaza Theatre was built in 1930 and went out of business in 1983 due to the region’s depressed economy. In that decade, many of of El Paso’s key businesses in the downtown area closed down. “In the 1980’s, the devaluation of the peso was a big hit to El Paso’s downtown economy,” Pearson said.