The building you see today began its life in the 1890’s. Over the years the
building was a market, a hardware store and even a grocery store.
Lancaster’s Town Square functioned as the social and commercial heart of
the city. In 1930 a second floor was added so that it could become a two-
story feed store. Hay was stored on the 2nd floor and loaded out two large
back windows onto carts on Dallas Avenue.
In 1950, the second floor was removed and the building opened up. Then
in 1951 the building was transformed into a movie theater. Over the years it
was known by many names: The Grand and even The Big ‘L”.
In 1994 a F4 tornado took out half of the buildings on The Historic Town
Square. The roof of The Theater was blown off. The Theater was lucky and
did not endure any other structural damage. So, the roof was replaced and
the 400 chairs were stacked up under the balcony, covered in plastic and
then left to rot. The owner had no plans on bringing the theater back to life.
In 2013, while looking for a place to use for film productions, Ken Arkwell
and Brad Keller discovered the abandoned theater. They purchased it with
the intent of renovation but unbeknownst to them major renovations
requiring an unexpected complete “down to the 4 walls” demolition had to
be completed.
Of course, the theater had asbestos issues that had to be cleaned and
cleared by the State of Texas. The electric panels dated back to the 60’s,
the heating system was covered in black mold form years of sitting after
getting wet from the leaky roof, and “handyman” repairs everywhere and on
everything. All plumbing, all electrical, and all HVAC had to be removed,
and new modern systems were installed.
After these extensive renovations, The Theater was used as a film set for
several years.
In 2020, the theater was transformed into a Christmas themed Puzzle Room
(an Escape Room). Customers had to find their way to the North Pole to
save Christmas. This Christmas puzzle room was a big hit for that season.
The theater was then used to create two more themed Puzzle Rooms
In 2023, The City of Lancaster approached Ken and said that the city, in
their effort to revitalize the Historic Town Square, would supply free funding
for building upgrades if he would turn The Theater into an entertainment
venue.
Lancaster Historian Ellen Clark was brought on as a full partner, and Ellen
Clark and Ken Arkwell have transformed The Historic Lancaster Theatre
into a Venue Like No Other!
A visually stunning, state-of-the-art Diverse Entertainment Venue.