Rosenberg, Fort Bend County
On August 16, 1919, Czech immigrants Fred Felcman and Miles Podlipny opened the Liberty Theatre, showing silent and Czech films. Renamed Cole Theatre after new owner Mart Cole in 1935 and remodeled into an art deco façade, the theatre offered Saturday matinee cowboy pictures and hosted performers such as The Ink Spots, Shirley Temple and John Wayne. In the 1950s-60s, “Bank Nights” brought the community together. While the theater was a meeting place for all, patrons were racially segregated between the floor and balcony levels until 1968. After 63 years in operation, the theater closed in 1982. Later owners staged opries and a TV production studio. The theater has been a staple of Rosenberg for over a century. RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK – 2022