Demolition crews started tearing down the landmark Berry Theater in Fort Worth on Saturday after the building’s owner determined the 83-year-old building was too costly to save.
Berry Theater was gifted as a donation to Mission Travis Mercy, or Mercy Clinic, a non-profit organization that provides free healthcare services to area residents.
“Built in the 1930s, the building has not been taken care of and is too costly to renovate,” said Mercy Clinic Executive Director Aly Layman in a statement, according to ABC 8 WFAA. “Even potential federal grants for historic preservation would not bring this cost down enough to not pull funding from the Mercy Clinic mission.”
Onlookers in the 3000 block of Hemphill Street watched as the theater was ripped apart, reflecting on the building’s history.
“Curiosity gets you when you’re a little kid and just trying to imagine what it was like being in there because it was a one-screen theater,” said Fort Worth resident Marcos Perez, NBC 5 DFW reported.
“I’m watching Fort Worth history disappear,” Rene Gomez told ABC 8.
Mercy Clinic plans on using the site to build a new health center. Still, some residents are feeling a loss after a previous community meeting seemed to hit the pause button on Berry Theater’s fate, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
“This decision does not connect with the meeting I attended,” said Jerre Tracy, executive director of Historic Fort Worth, according to KERA News.
John Roberts, who used to chair Historic Fort Worth’s board of directors, was present when demolition crews tore at the building on Saturday.
“It was a surprise,” Roberts said, per NBC 5. “We didn’t think it was coming down that fast.”
Berry Theater opened in April 1940 under the name White Theater but rebranded in 1961. It was one of the first movie theaters in the area to feature films in Spanish.
