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Richardson Square 3
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501 S Plano Rd
Richardson TX
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| Record #5003 |
Opened: October 20, 1977
Closed: April 23, 1995
Demolished: Yes (date unknown)
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Capacity:
Architect(s):
Architectural Style(s):
National Register:
Current Organ: none |
| Also Known As: |
| Previously operated by: General Cinema Theatres |
Information for this tour was contributed by Mark Richey. The Richardson Square was the prototype of General Cinema’s in-mall theaters of the 1970s. Tiny lobby, tiny, shoebox auditoriums, tiny screens. The major thing distinguishing it was that, unlike the Promenade and Northwood Hills, it was on the east side of Richardson.
The 3-plex opened on October 21, 1977, with "Oh, God!", "Young Frankenstein", and "The Other Side of Midnight". It chugged along for the next 12 years. With the 1989 opening of the nearby GCC Richardson 6, the Richardson Square began programming a mix of older films that had been dropped by the six-plex and new films, usually B-grade. On November 15, 1991, the theater became a discount house, showing "Terminator 2", "City Slickers", and "Doc Hollywood". The last day as a first-run it showed "The People Under the Stairs", "Ernest Scared Stupid", and "Year of the Gun".
The theater quietly closed on April 23, 1995, showing "Billy Madison", "Little Women", and "The Shawshank Redemption" on its last day. The Richardson News, which had run front-page articles about the demises of the Northwood Hills and the Promenade, ignored this closing. Since the theater’s closing, the mall has been renovated. I believe a Barnes & Noble’s now occupies the space.
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Last featured 6/26/2005. Last edited 8/10/2013.
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