Supporters raise $2.8m to save Houston's 1947 Art Deco theater from demolition

For generations of Houston residents, the Garden Oaks Theater was more than a place to watch a movie. Opened in 1947, the Art Deco-style cinema became part of the character of the Garden Oaks and Independence Heights area, eventually serving the community for decades before being converted into a church. Nearly eight decades after its opening, the building found itself facing a very different future. Its new owner had planned to demolish the property, putting one of Houston's remaining historic cinemas at risk. But instead of allowing the theater to disappear, a local preservation campaign brought together residents, donors and filmmakers to try to reclaim the site.