BELTON, Texas (KXXV) — The historic Beltonian Theatre shut its doors last year and went on the market for sale, but moviegoers can soon add this spot back to the list of available theaters. Friday the sale of the building closed going to another local family, the Carlins, who have fell in love with the downtown spot.
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The Beltonian Theatre is a longtime community staple that closed its doors a year ago, but the popcorn machine is warming up again.
"Maybe you're watching a movie at home or you're watching a movie in the theater and you have a reaction and you don't know why, you don't know whether it's a combination of the acting on the screen or any myriad things, but if something happens and people get affected in a positive way," Zechariah Baker, previous owner of The Beltonian Theatre said.
Zechariah Baker owned The Beltonian Theatre for seven years, but when he moved with his family to Corpus Christi it was time to sell the place he had come to love.
"Really the reaction you get as people leave and as they come inis really something that you don't see in a lot of other movie theaters, and that's something we pride ourselves on here at The Beltonian," Baker said.
With immersive experiences into the classics and modern releases, he told 25 News he wanted to keep the transaction local.
"That's a big legacy. There's a lot of families that have stayed in this area and we'll have generations of people come in and tell me about the movies they saw when they were a kid in the 1950s and 60s," Baker explained.
As the lights come up on a new legacy, new owners Katie and Joey Carlin said the odds were in their favor to purchase the $700,000 listed building.
“It was a devastating thing when we saw it was up for sale last year— the Beltonian had been a pillar of this community as a hub for the arts by way of film and performance and as a gathering place for friends and family. We saw an opportunity to build on the legacy the Bakers had created for film and the arts and to keep it a unique historical space that would support this community, “ The Carlins said.
The new owners plan to bring the movie magic back to Downtown Belton in the early summer.
