The Kay Theater

In 1947, E.L. Bryan and the Foy Arrington family bought a surplus quonset hut, one of thousands of all-purpose metal buildings made during World War II, and moved it to Rockdale to form the core of the town's second movie theater. Local carpenter Jack Kyle, Sr. directed several Rockdale high school students in building the sloping concrete floor and facade for the streamline moderne-style theater, named for the Arringtons' daughter Katherine. Its half-cylinder of corrugated steel sheets formed the walls and roof, and the entry featured a stepped plaster wall outlined in neon, an entry drum of plaster and glass blocks, paired double doors, a central sign, and large letters spelling K-A-Y on each side of the rotunda. The owners, Mr. and Mrs. Foy Arrington, said the quonset hut architecture lent itself naturally to excellent acoustics and a pleasing interior appearance. Construction was completed in time for a Thanksgiving 1947 opening, and at a dedication ceremony the next night postmaster Clyde Franklin served as master of ceremonies while Mayor J.B. Newton introduced Rolling Home, starring Russell Hayden, Jean Parker, and Raymond Hatton. Large box fans made it one of the few air conditioned locations in town. Mr. Arrington worked the ticket booth and served as projectionist, and his wife managed the concessions. As with similar facilities at the time, African American patrons walked upstairs to separate balcony seating. The theater closed in 1962 and stood vacant for many years before restoration began in 2004 through the Kay Theater Foundation. Today, the last remaining theater in Milam County recalls a time when going to the movies was a cultural event and central to the social life of many young people.

Rockdale, Texas · United States