Border Theater

The Border Theater was the fifth movie house constructed by Robert N. and Dell Smith. The building's architect was William J. Moore and the contractor was George Holliday. The stucco-covered building in Pueblo Revival architectural style is wood frame with a brick veneer; faux vigas (projecting roof beams) and heavy wooden lintels mark this style. The north part of the building is only two stories and contains a ground floor store which held a barber shop in the late 1990s. The rest of the main facade is three stories in height; another store occupies the southern end's ground floor and held a jewelry store in the late 1990s. A large marquee attached to the front of the building proclaims "THE BORDER" in large red lettering that reaches higher than the building's roofline. The ticket booth is surrounded by terracotta decorative tiles with scenes of the southwest. Walls in the theater are covered by murals hand-painted in 1942 by E. Risser, an artist from Dallas. The murals show historic scenes from Mission and the Rio Grande Valley. Two staircases lead up to the balcony level.

The nearby military installation, Moore Army Air Corps Field, that was established in 1941 helped supply customers for the new movie theater. To keep up with modern times, the single screen was replaced in 1952 to accommodate wide screen movies. The Border was the first theater in the valley to install air conditioning throughout the building. A metal canopy over the recessed entrance on Conway Boulevard was replaced in the 1990s by a narrow hip roof covered in Spanish clay tiles. The building was listed in the National register for its significance in the history of community planning and development as well as entertainment, especially for the period from 1942 to 1948.

While most events held in recent years at the Border Theater are free, the attendees make donations and buy concessions. Mr. Ramientos also rents out the theater for special events. The theater holds nearly 400 people; some of the seats in the balcony are still those original to the building in the 1940s.

City of Mission. Border Theater, Life in Mission, Attractions. January 1st 2018. Accessed October 4th 2020. https://missiontexas.us/life-in-mission/attractions/border-theatre/.

De Leon III, Jose. "'We're Still Here': Mission's Historic Border Theater Still Entertaining Crowds." Progress Times (Mission, TX) July 15th 2016. , News sec.

Malanka, Anne. Bostedt, Gretchen. NRHP Nomination of Border Theater. National Register. Washington, DC. National Park Service, 1998.

Pena, Roberto. Border Theater, 905 N. Conway Ave., Mission, TX 78572, Cinema Treasures. Accessed October 4th 2020. http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/4234.