BELTON — A new chapter is beginning for the historic Beltonian Theatre as a local couple prepares to reopen the beloved downtown venue and continue its more than century-long legacy in the community.
The Beltonian Theatre, located at 219 E. Central Ave., celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2022 and was the first business to receive a City of Belton historical marker.
After temporarily closing while the previous owners relocated, the landmark cinema was purchased by Joey and Katie Carlin, who plan to restore and revitalize the space while preserving the historic charm.
“My wife and I moved to Corpus Christi and did not want to run this more than 100-year theatre long distance,” Zechariah Baker, the theatre’s previous owner, said.
He now works in store leadership with H-E-B, while his wife Sara Baker serves as executive director of the Performing Arts Center at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi.
Although the theatre closed temporarily during the transition, Baker said finding the right buyers was the priority.
“We both started our new jobs last year, so having the theatre closed was not our preference, but it was needed temporarily while we took the time to find the perfect owners,” Baker said.
The search ultimately brought significant interest in the historic venue. After more than 50 inquiries and about 30 in-person tours, a local couple emerged as the ideal buyers.
“With a ton of help from Blake and the team at Two Lakes Real Estate, a local couple stood out as the perfect buyers,” Baker said.
While stepping away from ownership was bittersweet, the outgoing owner said the theatre’s connection with the community will be what he misses most.
“The impact to the Central Texas community we were able to have through partnerships, philanthropy and our most important connection with our loyal customers — that’s what we will miss the most,” Baker said.
For the Carlin family, the opportunity to purchase the theatre was about preserving a piece of Belton history.
“The buying process was very smooth,” Joey Carlin, the new owner for the Beltonian Theatre, said. “Zechariah’s main concern has been to make sure the next buyers would help build on the legacy and steward the theater. We all don’t want to see the site lose its unique charm.”
The movie theater is a place of family fun for Joey and Katie Carlin who have lived in the area since attending medical school in 2010 and now have three young children at Lakewood Elementary.
“We’ve always loved taking our kids to the movies,” Joey Carlin said. “We wanted to make sure such a cool piece of history in our town was preserved.”
The couple plans to make staged renovations over the next several years to restore some of the building’s original 1920s elements while keeping the theatre’s unique character.
“One of the most surprising things was behind the movie screen, the screen actually covers an old stage from the 1920s,” Joey Carlin said. “Backstage there are signatures and dates from musical acts from the ’20s and ’30s.”
Those historic remnants helped inspire the couple’s long-term vision for the venue.
The theatre is expected to reopen in early summer with classic movie screenings. By fall, the Carlins hope to begin hosting concerts and comedy shows on the historic stage once initial renovation work is complete.
“Our big goal is to have this spot continue blessing our community,” Joey Carlin said. “It’s been open for over a century, and there is no end in sight.”
Source:
https://kdhnews.com/news/region/historic-beltonian-theatre-gets-new-local-owners-with-movies-live-shows-set-to-return-to/article_461fbeb7-445e-5d0d-b3b5-0cc934d660ef.html
