Recently, Architectural Digest listed "The Most Beautifully Designed Theater in Each State." The list included some well-known arts and entertainment venues, ranging from classics of the past like the Hippodrome in Baltimore to modern marvels like the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.
Texarkana's own Perot Theatre made the list, as well, as the loveliest in Texas.
That's right, in all the Lone Star State.
It's quite an honor. And one we like to think of as well deserved.
Many longtime residents can remember when the theater wasn't such a showplace.
Opened with great fanfare in 1924 by the Saenger chain, it was grand indeed with elaborate details. But by the 1960s and 1970s, the Paramount, as it was known then, was pretty run-down. Yes, the beautiful bones of the picture palace it once was were still there, but for most of us, it was hard to imagine the place would everregain its former glory.
Some local residents, however, saw more. The Texarkana, Texas, City Council undertook the restoration effort. They secured funding from H. Ross Perot, his sister Bette and the Perot Foundation and work began. Under management of the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council the theater has become "ground central" for culture in our area, as Architectural Digest put it.
Now the Perot Theatre is getting its due. And those who saw the potential under the dust and grime can rightly bask in that glory as well.