Santa Rosa Theatre At 5607 Telephone Rd.

[MidtownCoog]

reality bites

[Ashikaga]

My parents told me about one of the times that we went to the Santa Rosa back when we lived in Houston (1962-64). She said that during the movie that my dad silently "passed gas." My dad said that he remembered it. He told me that we were sitting among a bunch of teenagers, and that he could hear them coughing and shuffling their feet. When we were outside of the theatre my mom told him that she would never go to a movie with him again.

Last month when I printed that photo of the Santa Rosa, I showed it to my dad. He saw that it was all boarded up and closed down. He said that it closed down as a result of what he did in it. He told me that one picture is worth a thousand words.

[Subdude]

Found old photos.

[sevfiv]

great photos! didn't the Houston Photographic and Architectural Foundation Trust sell the photos? i emailed them a while back and remember getting a response of that nature...

[Ashikaga]

Found old photos.

Excellent, Subdude! I printed those pictures. In that photo that I forwarded to you, you can see that they removed the letters "Santa Rosa" from the sign. Now, if you could only find some old photos of the Winkler Drive-In Theatre.

[TJones]

i was thinking a more classic photo of the santa rosa...i drive by the current version every day...haha

Hang on, I think i know where a classic photo might be. Oh, nevermind, I thought the old Jimmie Menuti's place was at the same location, different building.

[MidtownCoog]

Y'all remember the German restaurant across the street?

They moved to Webster.

But back in the early 70s that place was a lot of fun. Of course, I was only 3.

[TJones]

Y'all remember the German restaurant across the street?

They moved to Webster.

But back in the early 70s that place was a lot of fun. Of course, I was only 3.

3yrs. old eatin Shnitzel and drinking Grolsch beer......ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh ! Good times !

[sevfiv]

it's the rio verde taqueria now

[Subdude]

great photos! didn't the Houston Photographic and Architectural Foundation Trust sell the photos? i emailed them a while back and remember getting a response of that nature...

This was from the old Bailey calendar site.

Hang on, I think i know where a classic photo might be. Oh, nevermind, I thought the old Jimmie Menuti's place was at the same location, different building.

Jimmy Menuti's was the old Telephone Theater on Telephone at Wayside.

[Ashikaga]

What kind of a "medical" building? A clap clinic?

Chet Cuccia

Who knows? It might just become one. I mean, I heard that it spent its last few years as an X-rated movie theatre.

[sevfiv]

well, the medical center buildings are coming along, and are really UGLY

what was to be expected though...

the theater, on the other hand, is still sitting there as it was - i was told it was to become some kind of "community center."

that might be lingo for "drug rehab center next to the clap clinic"

[Ashikaga]

well, the medical center buildings are coming along, and are really UGLY

what was to be expected though...

the theater, on the other hand, is still sitting there as it was - i was told it was to become some kind of "community center."

that might be lingo for "drug rehab center next to the clap clinic"

A few months ago I said that it would be an eerie and spooky experience to go into a place like the Santa Rosa Theatre, a place that has been closed, shut and boarded up for many years. But it would still be interesting. I mean, if any of you were to attend a "ceremony" where the doors would be "opened" with crowbars and you would walk inside, what do you think that you would see? I'm pretty sure that the seats were left in there. But would you find a rotten soda fountain or popcorn machine? Gum or Junior Mints embedded in the carpet? Or, since it spent its final years as an X-rated movie theatre, would there be a rusted out condom machine in the rest room? If the stage curtain was left, vermin most likely consumed all of it where there's no curtain at all now.

What do all of you think might be in there?

[djrage]

I don't know about you, but I think that it would give a person a "spooky" feeling to walk into a place like the Santa Rosa that has been closed down for so long.

Chet Cuccia

The Santa Rosa hasn't been closed. It became a porn theater and video store sometime around 1986 and had been ever since. They changed the name to Starzz. It closed last year.

I actually stopped in out of curiosity a couple of years ago because as a kid I saw a few spanish movies with my parents there sometime in the late 70s/early 80s. I recognized the design on the floor in the lobby. The snack bar still in place, but there wasn't candy and popcorn in it..... It was practically the same except for that it was dark, dirty and dinjy. I made my way up to the balcony there were holes in the walls, ceiling fixtures hanging. I looked over the balcony and saw that most of the right row of chairs had been removed, broken chairs here and there. The projection booth was closed in but saw people going in and out of it. The movie was being shown from a video projector that was hung over the middle of the main floor (wondered how they got it up there) Don't know what was going on in the booth and I wasn't going to find out. It was a was a sad sight but interesting because it was like a step into the past. I hadn't set foot in that building since the very early 80s, I must have been 10 or 11. How many of us can still do that? Most of the places of our past are gone now or have been remodled to something else. I just had to know what it was like now because I knew one day I wouldn't be able to.

[Ashikaga]

The Santa Rosa hasn't been closed. It became a porn theater and video store sometime around 1986 and had been ever since. They changed the name to Starzz. It closed last year.

I actually stopped in out of curiosity a couple of years ago because as a kid I saw a few spanish movies with my parents there sometime in the late 70s/early 80s. I recognized the design on the floor in the lobby. The snack bar still in place, but there wasn't candy and popcorn in it..... It was practically the same except for that it was dark, dirty and dinjy. I made my way up to the balcony there were holes in the walls, ceiling fixtures hanging. I looked over the balcony and saw that most of the right row of chairs had been removed, broken chairs here and there. The projection booth was closed in but saw people going in and out of it. The movie was being shown from a video projector that was hung over the middle of the main floor (wondered how they got it up there) Don't know what was going on in the booth and I wasn't going to find out. It was a was a sad sight but interesting because it was like a step into the past. I hadn't set foot in that building since the very early 80s, I must have been 10 or 11. How many of us can still do that? Most of the places of our past are gone now or have been remodled to something else. I just had to know what it was like now because I knew one day I wouldn't be able to.

Thank you for telling me all of this. I'm now 47 years old. My mother told me that she took me to the Santa Rosa to see a movie called "The Music Man". I looked up that movie on IMDB.COM. It said that it came out back in 1962. That means that I was four years old when I was in the Santa Rosa. I was just telling everyone what I heard about the theatre being closed down for many years. You have enlightened me as to the true state of affairs.

My dad also remembers the Santa Rosa. He said that one time when we went there that he silently passed some gas during a movie. He said that he remembered hearing people coughing and shuffling their feet. A few months ago when I showed him that recent photo of the closed down Santa Rosa, he said that it clcsed down because of what he did in it. He told me that one picture is worth a thousand words.

[Ashikaga]

Excellent, Subdude! I printed those pictures. In that photo that I forwarded to you, you can see that they removed the letters "Santa Rosa" from the sign. Now, if you could only find some old photos of the Winkler Drive-In Theatre.

I showed this photo to my dad. He said that he is on the second row, fifth from the left.

[djrage]

This was from the old Bailey calendar site.

Jimmy Menuti's was the old Telephone Theater on Telephone at Wayside.

When was this place demolished?

[beauford]

This was from the old Bailey calendar site.

Jimmy Menuti's was the old Telephone Theater on Telephone at Wayside.

Great photo... this was the 'Wayside' Theatre, located on the NE corner of Telephone Rd @ Wayside Drive.

It was owned and operated by Interstate Theatres - they also operated the Santa Rosa @ Telephone Rd @Park Place, and the Eastwood at Telephone Rd @ Leeland, and the Broadway on Broadway near Manchester. I grew up in the "East End" and worked as an user at the Eastwood and the Santa Rosa.

[Ashikaga]

Great photo... this was the 'Wayside' Theatre, located on the NE corner of Telephone Rd @ Wayside Drive.

It was owned and operated by Interstate Theatres - they also operated the Santa Rosa @ Telephone Rd @Park Place, and the Eastwood at Telephone Rd @ Leeland, and the Broadway on Broadway near Manchester. I grew up in the "East End" and worked as an user at the Eastwood and the Santa Rosa.

I also lived in the "East End" in Houston from 1962-64. My mother said that she took me to the Santa Rosa Theatre. I lived at # 8 West Court Drive. It was just south of where Park Place Boulevard dead ends into Galveston Road. I also attended Kindergarten at Park Place Elementary School. Was the part of the "East End" where you lived anywhere near that vicinity?

[beauford]

I also lived in the "East End" in Houston from 1962-64. My mother said that she took me to the Santa Rosa Theatre. I lived at # 8 West Court Drive. It was just south of where Park Place Boulevard dead ends into Galveston Road. I also attended Kindergarten at Park Place Elementary School. Was the part of the "East End" where you lived anywhere near that vicinity?

Nope- I lived near Jackson Jr. High School near Polk and Altic, which was near Hughs Tool.

The area that I lived in was called "Eastwood".

[foxmulder]

Great photo... this was the 'Wayside' Theatre, located on the NE corner of Telephone Rd @ Wayside Drive.

It was owned and operated by Interstate Theatres - they also operated the Santa Rosa @ Telephone Rd @Park Place, and the Eastwood at Telephone Rd @ Leeland, and the Broadway on Broadway near Manchester. I grew up in the "East End" and worked as an user at the Eastwood and the Santa Rosa.

Where exactly on broadway? Hey since were on the topic was used to be in the area of brady's landing and broadway, were the post office was and the funeral home, I remember a friend used to live in one, it used to look like a store.

[westguy76]

cool, I remember going to see a couple of movies here when i was young, I remember seeing superman 4 in this theater(just looked it up on IMDB the year was 1987 i must have been 11) I remember the theater turning into an adult theater not long after. I lived not far from there up hwy 35 close to Gulfgate mall. The only public school i went to in the area was Deady middle school on Broadway, it was rough then I wonder what it's like now.

[Ashikaga]

cool, I remember going to see a couple of movies here when i was young, I remember seeing superman 4 in this theater(just looked it up on IMDB the year was 1987 i must have been 11) I remember the theater turning into an adult theater not long after. I lived not far from there up hwy 35 close to Gulfgate mall. The only public school i went to in the area was Deady middle school on Broadway, it was rough then I wonder what it's like now.

Someone on this forum told me that if I had stayed in Houston that I would have attended Deady

Middle School and Milby High School. You must have lived not far from where I did.

[westguy76]

Well I lived on Greenstone Drive between hwy 35 and 45 south.

More often than the Santa Rosa I remember going to the theatre that was next to Gulfgate mall as it was within walking distance from where we lived.

[Ashikaga]

Well I lived on Greenstone Drive between hwy 35 and 45 south.

More often than the Santa Rosa I remember going to the theatre that was next to Gulfgate mall as it was within walking distance from where we lived.

Are you referring to that Cinema I & II that had a pedestrian bridge in front of it which crossed over

Interstate 610 that people could walk over to Gulfgate?

I lived from 1962-64 at # 8 West Court Drive. It was just a little ways down from where Park Place

Boulevard dead ended into Galveston Road. I lived in a white house on the corner of Galveston

Road and West Court Drive. Was where you lived near there?

[Ashikaga]

i am still working on info for the santa rosa - the developer is being a little more helpful now (since he got a letter from marvin zindler - totally different issue...heh). in a couple days i should know more...

FOXMULDER is the one who deserves full credit for this. He went and took the picture, then he sent it to me. All that I did was forward it to SUBDUDE.

[Veryredd]

My early memory of Santa Rosa. I grew up in Regency Park in Pearland, and my mother used to drop me and my sister off there with three rolls of pennies (50 cents each). One to pay for each ticket and one for the snacks. This was in 1965-1966 era. I remember seeing Born Free there.

[Ashikaga]

My early memory of Santa Rosa. I grew up in Regency Park in Pearland, and my mother used to drop me and my sister off there with three rolls of pennies (50 cents each). One to pay for each ticket and one for the snacks. This was in 1965-1966 era. I remember seeing Born Free there.

My mother told me that she took me to the Santa Rosa to see a movie called "The Music Man". I looked that up on IMDB.COM and it said that that movie came out in 1962, when I was four years old.

[stolitx]

I attended the Hobby Area Chamber of Commerce meeting this morning. It was mentioned that the owner of the Santa Rosa theater property & the new retail/medical offices ajacent to it is still talking of saving the Santa Rosa. Possibly leaving the stage in place and using it as rental space for the community. We'll see if it happens.

Unfortunately the owner also said they might stucco it to resemble the retail space developed next to it. Uggh.

[sevfiv]

ew...

"america's center" is almost done...i have to say, it looks better than i had imagined, but still, i have a pessimistic view overall...

as far as the theater, my neighbors had talked to the contractor of the site, and he mentioned the same thing about a community center...