Y.W. & Y.M.H.A. Hall At Chartres & Clay St.

[Highrise Tower]

I was browsing the newspaper Texas Jewish Herald dated December 26, 1935 and came across this business ad for Y.W. & Y.M.H.A. Hall At Chartres & Clay St. Very cool find! I've never heard of this, sounds like an underground theater.  Given the time frame it would be a scary time in history.

Paramount Movie Service
(A Houston Organization)

Presents Shlom Aleichem's "Laughter Thru Tears"
With a cast of 1000

Y.W. & Y.M.H.A. Hall
Chatres at Clay

Admission:
50 cent adults
25 cent children

[brucesw]

Young Women's/Men's Hebrew Association, Jewish counterpart to the YW/MCAs, in other words a Jewish social institution with a room that could be used for movies, long before the establishment of Meyerland.  Jews in Houston apparently lived mostly southeast of downtown out toward Riverside, of course..  The Jewish Community Center was on La Branch, I think - I can't remember the cross street but further south than this, and there was a Synagogue across from San Jac Hi School that became a Unitarian Church.

The film is about life under the Czars in Russia for Jews, produced in 1928.

About the film

About the author, Sholem Aleichem

I'd never heard of this place either.

Edited October 12, 2022 by brucesw

[brucesw]

13 hours ago, brucesw said:

Jews in Houston apparently lived mostly southeast of downtown out toward Riverside, of course..

I should have stated that as more of a question.  The idea popped into my head last night but I don't know that the assertion is true, except for Riverside.

The Jewish Community Center was at 4701 La Branch at Blodgett.  Sister radio stations KNUZ (1230 am) and KQUE-FM (102.1 fm) took over the facility and were housed there for decades.

Heinen Theatre - 3517 Austin

ETA:  Congregation Beth Israel, the oldest Jewish congregation in Texas, occupied the building from 1925-1967.  HISD purchased it in 1966.  It was designed by Joseph Finger, a member.

Edited October 12, 2022 by brucesw