This debilitated Stockyards theater may become Fort Worth’s next hot music hall
Jeffrey Smith excitedly pointed around the former New Isis Theater, describing his vision for a renovated playhouse, seemingly unaware of his surroundings.
Standing inside the theater, with a chewed up floor of muddy ground and a pool of rain water lapping in the auditorium, Smith described a massive movie screen, intimate live music and patrons sipping drinks as if they were already there. He knows exactly what the historic theater should look like and he’s confident he can introduce Fort Worth to his dream by the end of the year.
“Everybody walks in and they see all of this dilapidation. They see all of this, just, neglect. I walked in the door and I was like a kid in the candy store,” Smith said, describing how he immediately envisioned rebuilding the Isis. “I saw it clear as day from the minute we started working on this project.”
Smith has been plucking along with the New Isis, at 2401 N. Main St., which he plans to reopen as Downtown Cowtown at the Isis, for nearly three years. Half of that time was spent just on making sure he properly preserved the historic building.
The theater, which first opened in 1914 and was rebuilt in 1935 after a fire, has sat ramshackle and unloved for 30 years.
Smith had quite a mess to sort through. Massive holes in the roof exposed the theater’s core, meaning the hand-painted Egyptian-themed stencil work was ruined along with almost all of the original seats. The stage had to be completely rebuilt and the structure shored up with new framing.
He described the gutting of the building like an archaeological dig, crews sorting through debris finding old projectors, cutting tables and other 20th century theater equipment. Work on the exterior wall revealed layers of previous renovations including glass soda bottles tossed aside and sealed in the walls.
Smith hopes to put some of this on display. Using the ticket booth as the case, he wants the history of the New Isis to greet patrons as they come in the door. Old photos will be laid with a salvaged cutting table and projector to give people a taste of what the theater looked like when North Side and Diamond Hill kids came to movies from 1930s to the ‘60s. The best preserved seats were from the segregated section of the mezzanine, which he’ll also display.
“Our hope is that when people come to the space, that they will get this immersive experience,” Smith said. “They’re really going to experience what this building was like, what life was like back, in the ‘20s and ‘30s.”
The hardest part is now over, Smith said confidently. He expects the contractor to make quick work of finishing off the interior once the roof is sealed.
He’s up against a bit of deadline — Smith has three opening galas planned Jan. 7, 8 and 9 featuring John Schneider, Katie Kadan, a runner up on “The Voice,” and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. With the pandemic in mind, he said he anticipates limited seating.
As much as possible the building will be restored thanks in large part to Fort Worth restoration architect Arthur Weinman, whose grandfather, Ludwig Bernhardt Weinman, was the original architect.
Weinman has been involved in bringing new life to the building in one way or another for over a decade, he said. His grandfather’s ties to the theater are one reason, but Weinman, who did work at the historic Tarrant County Courthouse and the old North Fort Worth High School, said he’s drawn to re-purposing Fort Worth’s older buildings.
“It gives a depth to what we have, it gives an understanding here and it gives us better context for our lives,” he said. “We don’t want everything new. That gets kind of boring.”
A terrazzo tile floor that, as Smith noted, zigzags like Charlie Brown’s shirt, will be restored in the front lobby. New tiling in the bar area and leading into the theater will mimic the restored tile, Weinman said. Examples of the light blue stenciled diamond pattern were saved in photographs and will be painted to accent the theater.
The display of theater artifacts will be to the right as visitors enter. To the left, Smith has procured a bar dating to the early 1900s that will serve patrons both inside and outside the theater. This space was at various times a pharmacy, chiropractor’s office and a Wells Fargo, Smith said.
The mezzanine balcony will be replaced with an event space, another early 1900s era bar, green room and dressing rooms. Artists will access the stage through a walkway above the auditorium.
The stage can function both for live productions and for film, with a nearly 40-foot screen. Smith hopes to host both music and film festivals, possibly in collaboration with other Stockyards venues. He’d hoped to book about 15 shows a month, but coronavirus has forced him to readjust expectations to six to 10 shows a month in the first half of 2021.
As a movie theater, the Isis seated about 1,000 but Smith has cut that in half for a more private feel for the live shows.
“You’ll be so close you can see the sweat on the artist’s face,” Smith said. “I want people to feel personally engaged in the show.”
This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 11:39 AM.
