Those who have been lucky enough to stay in the theater’s auditorium experienced love at first sight. It is here that the attendees nourish their souls and make their inner world colorful and spiritually enriched. As people say: “It must be seen.” Find out more at Houston Trend.
The history of theatres stretches from ancient times. Ancient Rome and Greece are the indisputable mastodons in this epic, who laid the foundation stone in the theatrical world. It is difficult to overestimate the contribution of past eras to the development of modern theatrical art. To this day, stage scenes include the practices of Romans and Greeks.
Houston also has its own record holder with a rich history, achievements and bright pages of creative life.
The first bricks and background
Despite the 1980s oil disaster in Texas, the regional authority decided to build a theater in downtown Houston. Surprisingly or not, the works were financed from the pockets of ordinary citizens. Due to the donations made by about two thousand locals, a fair amount of money was collected. It should be noted that the speed of construction was impressive, and the first facility, with an area of more than 437 feet, was put into operation four months earlier than planned. Moreover, only 5 million dollars were spent on its construction.
Figures and details
As it is known, the theater is named after an outstanding public leader and businessman, and Houston resident, Gus Wortham. This generous man became one of the patrons and allocated considerable funds for the theater’s construction of $20 million. Additionally, Cullen and Brown Foundations contributed 6 and 7.5 million dollars, respectively. The total cost of the works reached a whopping 66 million dollars.
Eugene Aubry, another native of the city, was the author of the project. He designed numerous famous buildings around the globe.
On May 9, 1987, the theater officially opened its doors with the performance of Tango Argentino. Already in September of the same year, the famous Romeo and Juliet was presented here for the first time. But this is far from the entire list of productions that the Houston audience watched in the debut season. It should be noted that art connoisseurs had a lot to choose from because the repertoire, as for the first months, was considerable.
The guests of the Wortham Center, who can be attentive and meticulous about the architecture, pay attention not only to the performance but also to the beauty of the building, both external and internal. There is something to tell here too.
At the entrance, theater visitors can see an archway, which is 88-feet (27-m) tall. During the design, it caused a lot of discussions among architects due to the frequent hurricanes in Houston. Soon the entry arch was fenced in glass, which added authenticity to the building with a touch of modernity.
We cannot miss the magnificent chandelier hanging in the Green Room, named Helen Hayes. The fact is that back in time, the theater of the same name was demolished in New York, but thanks to the good people Janie and Billy Price, this beauty was acquired for the Wortham Theater.
Numerous escalators surrounded by the installation were created by famous New York sculptor Albert Paley. Their construction also caused some controversies, but that is the way it is.
Special pride is the acoustic system of the theater because it has “frying pan” pods. It creates perfect sound characteristics and quality that no other theater has.
Regarding the mentioned above entry archway, a hurricane visited Houston in 2017 and did not bypass the theater. By good fortune, the building was not severely damaged, but water brought trouble, destroying equipment and a lot of things inside the theater. Renovation works lasted about a year after Hurricane Harvey. Since then, bad weather and calamities, fortunately, did not disturb the city much.
The theater keeps on operating to this day and delighting its guests with a wide-ranging repertoire. We believe that in the future, the theater will have no less exciting and fascinating history.
