The single-screen Isis Theatre opened in 1914. Despite a fire in 1935 and a flood in 1942, the theater held an iconic spot in the Fort Worth Stockyards until it shuttered in 1988.
Theater professionals Jeffrey and Debbie Smith bought the building in 2016 and began renovating. The Isis Theatre reopened in 2021 as Downtown Cowtown at the Isis Theatre.
The New Isis Theater is a fixture on North Main Street but has been closed for decades. The building as it was in 2019. Rodger Mallison rmallison@star-telegram.com
The Isis Theatre on Tuesday, August 9, 2022, in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
Holes in the roof have allowed the elements to deteriorate New Isis Theater on North Main Street as seen on Friday, December 1, 2017. Rodger Mallison rmallison@star-telegram.com
The Isis Theatre on Tuesday, August 9, 2022, in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
New owner Jeffrey S. Smith looks at the lens on one of the two carbon-arc projectors in 2017. Rodger Mallison rmallison@star-telegram.com
The projector room of the Isis Theatre on Tuesday, August 9, 2022, in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
Theater seats and curtain remnants show deterioration after being exposed to the elements for decades in 2017. Rodger Mallison rmallison@star-telegram.com
The Isis Theatre on Tuesday, August 9, 2022, in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
New owner Jeffrey S. Smith walks up the stairs to the balcony in 2017. Rodger Mallison rmallison@star-telegram.com
The Isis Theatre on Tuesday, August 9, 2022, in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
The original ticket booth welcomes patrons into the newly renovated Isis Theatre on Tuesday, August 9, 2022, in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
This story was originally published August 4, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
Amanda McCoy is a visual journalist that produces daily and documentary videos. Before moving to Fort Worth in 2018, she spent 11 years telling the stories of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, including the recovery from Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. She is a native of Michigan and graduate of Michigan State University.
