The Paramount Theatre

Established in 1915, the Paramount Theatre has been home to iconic films and performances, including the likes of Harry Houdini, Katharine Hepburn and Miles Davis. Explore this historic venue’s first 100 years.

Imagine downtown Austin in the early 1900s when Congress Avenue was a wide dirt road stirred up by horse-drawn carriages. The flood of 1900, which washed away the power plant that generated the electricity for the streetcars delivering passengers to their downtown destinations, temporarily forced the cars to be pulled by mules. The main street in the capital city was one of the first to be paved in 1905 to accommodate the growing number of automobiles–the primary mode of transportation by the end of the 1920s.