HOUSTON – The historic Heights Theater on 19th Street has been sold to a Dallas impresario who will renovate the former movie theater into a performing arts hall and events center.
The Heights Theater, 333 W. 19th Street, opened in the 1920s in the silent-film era and has been designated a protected landmark by the City of Houston.
Edwin Cabaniss, the owner of the redeveloped Kessler Theater in Dallas, purchased theater building and intends to open the venue in mid-2016.
West 19th Street is a traditional retail corridor in the Heights, an older neighborhood just northwest of downtown Houston. West 19th is walkable collection of in-line shops, restaurants and commercial. There are some gaps where the small buildings have been demolished or destroyed, but the traditional retail integrity remains intact for the most part.
Cabaniss’ redevelopment of the Kessler theater in Dallas has hosted rock concerts, community events, literary readings and private receptions and weddings. The Kessler in Dallas has hosted shows by major musicians who want to play a small venue.
Ashley Casterlin of Davis Commercial represented Cabaniss in the purchase. Star Massing of Boulevard Realty represented the sellers, Sharon and Gus Kopriva, who had owned the building since the 1988. The asking price was $1.9 million.
The Heights Theater was damaged by a fire in the 1969 and remained closed for years.
The first movie screened there was a silent western called Sunset Pass and the admission was 20 cents according to the Houston Archaeological & Historical Commission.