HILLSBORO, Texas (KXXV) — The city of Hillsboro could possibly recruit volunteers in the upcoming future after taking ownership over the Texas Theater.
- The Texas Theater was built in December 1926 and was originally called the Palace Theater
- The city closed the trade on March 31st
- The city has limited funds to revitalize the theater and will need community support
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“I’m sure there are plenty of people here in Hillsboro who are willing to volunteer and help," said local resident and owner of Main Florist, Kim Pope.
Kim Pope, a longtime Hillsboro resident, is happy to hear that the city of Hillsboro finalized a deal on Tuesday to trade the former Municipal Court for the Texas Theater. Keeping the century-old building alive will take help from the community, something Pope tells me she can see happening.
“Get it going and get it up and organized and ready and start having families come and enjoy," said Pope.
Pope has some supporters in town backing her up. Several local residents took to social media when they heard about the city taking over the theater.
One resident wrote: "Sign me up to volunteer however you need me" …and another wrote: "I would love to help…painting is my speciality!"
Back in October, the city put the former court building up for sale. Megan Henderson, the city manager, said the city was no longer in need of the municipal court building.
“When we opened those bids at the end of November, we submitted those bids to the council, and the bid that the council selected for the former municipal court building was in fact to exchange it for the Texas Theater," said Megan Henderson, city manager for the city of Hillsboro.
Pope said the theater for her as a kid was not just about movies but community.
“Going to the theater was okay, let’s take the whole family to the theater, and as they got older, it was really great for junior age for the kids to go and hang out and somewhere that the parents knew was a good environment so it was something that brought everybody together," said Pope.
Getting everyone together again at the theater will take time. Ken Gates, the director of operations for F&R Solutions, LLC, who helped to trade the theater to the city, said volunteers will be vital to making this all a reality.
“By having the front redone of the theater, making it bright…you’ll have the bright lights at night. People will be able to see that something is going on in downtown Hillsboro, and now this will be part of the whole revitalization of downtown, which people are looking for, and this is a great way to kick that off," said Ken Gates, director of operations for F&R Solutions, LLC.
And if the theater can get there in a few years. Pope said new experiences can be created for local residents.
“Performances go on, and bands or whatever, and people come in and sit and watch. I think that would be great for Hillsboro," said Pope.
