Historic Fort Sam Houston Theater Gets $17M Renovation, Expansion
After more than two decades of vacancy, one of the first dedicated movie theaters built by the U.S. Army in the United States will be brought back to life. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District, awarded a $16.9-million contract to Lampasas-based RKJ Construction Inc. to renovate and build an addition to the 75-year-old main post theater on Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio.
It will be the new home of the Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command’s Army Entertainment Division, which is relocating to Fort Sam Houston from Fort Belvoir, Va.
Many of the theater’s architecturally distinctive elements will be retained. It was built in 1935 in a Spanish Colonial Revival style with white-stucco exterior, arched entryways and a bell tower reminiscent of Spanish missions. It is expected to be finished by the fall 2011.
