CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The historical Ritz Theatre is one step closer to re-living its glory days. The non-profit who is working to restore the theatre, CCPATCH, signed an agreement with the Texas Historical Commission on Thursday for their largest grant yet.
"One of the things we are most proud of with this grant is that it's the first time the state recognized what's happening with the theatre," said Monica Sawyer with CCPATCH.
The funding for the grant, in the amount of $230,000, comes from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, And Maria (HIM) Emergency Supplemental Historic Preservation Fund (ESHPF) Grant managed by the Texas Historical Commission, issued by the National Park Service.
More good news: any donations made right now toward restoring the theatre will be doubled by this grant. You can make a donation here.
The grant is specifically for repairs to the exterior of the building and this grant is time sensitive - the group must complete and pay for the work by April 2024 in order to be reimbursed.
"The way the Harvey grant works is we must raise the money by other means, complete the work, pay for the work, then submit our receipts for reimbursement up to $230,000," CCPATCH officials said in a news release. "We can then use the reimbursement money to launch us into our next phase."
The Ritz originally opened on Christmas Day in 1929 as a first-run movie theatre and vaudeville house (stage entertainment offering a variety of short acts such as slapstick, song-and-dance routines, and juggling performances), according to their website. It was the first “talking” movie theatre in South Texas.
During World War II, big-name bands entertained military personnel as well as the local community. The Ritz continued to thrive until the last regular scheduling of films in 1972. It re-opened as The Ritz Music Hall in 1974 and featured such acts as Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffet, Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, Def Leppard, Motley Crue and many others.
Later, the Performing Players, an amateur theatre group, held shows at the theatre, followed by another amateur group, The Encore Theatre Corporation. The latter occupied the Ritz until the ’80s. The theatre closed in 1989.
CCPATCH was given rights to the property in 2011 and has made it their mission to restore the Ritz to its original glory.
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