Alabama Theatre, Art Deco cinema in Upper Kirby district, Houston, United States
The Alabama Theatre is a movie theater in the Upper Kirby district with a grand single-screen auditorium holding 1,130 seats, built in the Streamline Moderne style during the 1930s. Today the building at South Shepherd Drive houses a grocery store that preserved several original architectural features during renovation.
The venue opened on November 2, 1939, as Interstate Theater Corporation's tenth Houston location, debuting with the film 'Man About Town' starring Jack Benny. In the early 1950s, it hosted the city's first CinemaScope screening.
The building takes its name from an earlier movie house and later served as a bookstore, reflecting how entertainment venues transformed into retail spaces in this neighborhood. Original interior elements remain visible today and speak to how this location once drew people for leisure.
The location is easy to find and Art Deco details are visible from the exterior, though the interior now operates as a retail space. Visitors should check current business operations before visiting, as access and hours depend on the current tenant.
From 1984 to 2009, the building operated as a bookstore and became the top-performing location of a major chain. The conversion demonstrates how movie theaters in this city found a second life as retail spaces.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
