The Wallace Theater, built in 1928 as a single-screen movie house, reconnects Levelland with its cultural roots and welcomes new participants in the arts. The vision for the renovation was twofold, to honor the community’s past and to grow an arts hub for future performers, patrons, and philanthropists in West Texas. Our design creates expanded patron spaces while preserving the authentic character of the audience chamber.
A rebuilt grand stair curves around an enlarged double-height opening and leads up to the balcony, while a discreet elevator improves accessibility. Timeless finishes such as mahogany-stained wood, brass accents, custom Axminster carpet, and gently curved ceilings reinforce the theater’s Art Deco roots. Performance infrastructure supports today’s productions and scales as the organization grows, with tools accessible to youth and early learners through community theater programs.
The 11,800-SF renovation of the historic Wallace Theater and the adjacent former Pie Shoppe focused the work on performance and patron experience. The team restored the audience chamber, extended the stage, and reimagined the historic lobby to form a cohesive, welcoming arrival aligned with the theater’s community vision. The balcony was re-raked to improve sightlines and renovated as box seating to deliver a premium patron experience. The former Pie Shoppe was gutted and rebuilt for back-of-house functions, including two chorus rooms, cast restrooms, a green room, and a catering kitchen, and its street frontage became an expansion of the theater lobby with an Art Deco-inspired concessions counter. All seats are loose, allowing maximum flexibility across performance types. New systems were integrated throughout, including a new pipe grid over the stage, new theatrical lighting infrastructure, and a new public address system.
