After sitting dormant for decades, the historic Globe Theatre in Texas Hill Country’s town of Bertram is coming back to life. The Globe’s Grand Opening Gala is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Austin Music Hall of Famer Dale Watson and His Lone Stars will be performing. This is actually a Grand Re-Opening, as the Globe was built and first opened in 1935. The Globe is located in downtown Bertram, Texas, which is located about 45 miles northwest of Austin and 10 miles east of Burnet, on State Highway 29.

History
Bertram’s Globe Theatre Brought Back To Life

Photo: Facebook/Globe-Theatre-TX
The last show at the Globe was in the early 1980s, and there has been little or no upkeep since then. Even with the place in bad condition and disrepair, the current owners, Zach Hamilton and Lance Regier, wanted to revitalize the Globe while making it look as much like the original theatre as possible. A lot of demolition and rebuilding were necessary, but they were able to save the original red granite walls. The granite used here in the 1930s is from Granite Mountain in Marble Falls. The same granite was also used to construct the Texas State Capitol and part of the Galveston seawall. Other things they were able to save from the original theatre were the projectors, film equipment, and popcorn machine.

Photo: Facebook/Globe-Theatre-TX
Since 2010, the new owners have worked on the restoration project when they could find time. They even raised money through a Kickstarter campaign to restore the theatre’s seats to replicate 1940s period seats. The ceiling, walls, and stage facade were re-constructed using photographs of the original art deco styling. The original “Globe” sign was found in an old barn outside of town by a previous owner and was restored with new neon, leaving the original patina.

In the first year that the theatre opened, original movies that were played at the Globe were “The Irish in Us”, “King of Wild Horses”, “Welcome Home”, and “Public Menace.” Patrons were charged 10 cents for matinees on Saturdays and Sundays, and 25 cents for night shows at 7 pm.