BEEVILLE, Texas — Preservation efforts on the historic Rialto Theater in Beeville is currently halted, as the Hall-Rialto Preservation Association is awaiting a vote that will determine the fate of the theater.
Mark Parsons is the president of the Hall-Rialto Preservation Association and he looks forward to the day when the theater is reopened to the community. These past years the project has picked up momentum and the lobby is nearly completed. It was estimated to be opened to the public in six months to a year but that now depends on the approval for funding.
"It would be a thrill of all thrills to see it open. It has been a long project and just to see something come to completion I think it would be a big boost to everything," Parsons said.
Since 1991, the nonprofit has raised over 1.1 million dollars to preserving the historic theater. But now, the organization is facing another challenge for the second time. They are awaiting the approval of a fund request by the Beeville Economic Improvement Corporation and the Beeville City Council, which could determine the future of the project.
"They approved after nearly a year as far as vetting the project, our fund request," Parsons said. "And what they're going to do is a certain amount this fiscal year and next fiscal year do the balance. With that we should be able to finish up the lobby and get it open up to show some progress to the community."
Bee County Commissioner Kristofer Linney said as a kid he has fond memories of the theater. He said now to bring this building to life again would be a huge accomplishment for the city.
"The main thing that it would do, it would bring back the history of the building, what the purpose was originally, plus the economic development and impact it would have for not just Beeville but for Bee County," Linney said.
Growing up in Beeville, Cyndi Carrasco was always fascinated by the theater and said it has a lot of potential to offer the community such as concerts, dance recitals, fundraisers and so much more.
Carrasco said it's important to continue to preserve Beeville's history for future generations.
"You know, you're showing them what Beeville used to have, preserving that architecture, that history for them to see where it was at that point of time and where it can go," Carrasco said. "You have to be able to show, you know, this is a little bit of your past that you're keeping here and prospering in the future."
At this moment, Parsons said he doesn't know when the Beeville Economic Improvement Corporation will vote on the funding request. If they approve it, then it goes to vote in city council and they will determine the fate of the theater. Until then, Parsons said, "it's a waiting game."