More than seventy-five years after the curtain went up for the first time at the Melba Theatre in downtown Houston, a downtown landmark is used frequently. The cost of the project was about $600,000 and was raised entirely through donations. It was led by Downtown Houston Inc. and includes not only the theatre, but property on each side.
The theatre had been closed since the early 1980s. It reopened in December 2017. The project created the Melba Theatre Performing Arts Center. The Melba project captured the imagination of Houston residents because of the happy memories associated with the town’s original movie house that opened in 1938.
The group maintains a website at melbaperformingartscenter.com.
MULTIPLE USES OF FACILITY
Not only has the theatre project brought new life to the downtown, it serves as a home to several community groups that don’t have quarters, including the Stars Foundation, Community Betterment and Arts Council of Houston, Houston R-1 School District and various meetings.
The venue is located at 214 S. Grand Ave. It can be rented by the public by calling 417-260-0043.