Entertaining Las Crucens since 1941

Entertainment is essential for human well-being. It serves as a necessary release for mental and emotional stress while fostering social connection, creativity, and cognitive stimulation. It acts as a vital reset button so you can return to your daily life feeling refreshed, inspired, and connected.

For Las Crucens in the early 1940s, the State Theater was one such venue for entertainment. The theater opened in December 1941, just weeks after the United States entered World War II. The first movie to play was “Top Sergeant Mulligan,” a comedy that provided much needed laughter after the shocking attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7.

The State Theater was a source of entertainment for families, students, soldiers and the farming and ranching community. Local preservationist David Chavez recalls fondly going to the State Theater when he was in grade school and junior high school.

“I saw ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ there, movies coming out of Morocco, English movies, war movies, and adventure movies.” He said that the movies he saw growing up helped him be more accepting of other cultures and people and led to an “appreciation of the phenomenal locations that made history.”

During Urban Renewal (1966-1975) Las Cruces officials tried to convince residents of the benefits of building a modern downtown area that generations of citizens could enjoy. Instead of embracing the cultural and historic heritage of downtown Las Cruces, the city decided to expunge the traditional cityscape by flattening roughly 70 percent of the historic downtown structures. This led to a profound loss of regional adobe homes and cultural architecture. Fortunately, the State Theater survived this demolition.

Designed by El Paso architects Guy Lewis Frazer and Archie Benner, the theater was built as a single-screen, 563-seat cinema at a cost of $30,000. It is a modest and intimate expression of Art Deco, focusing on geometric simplicity rather than lavish ornamentation seen in larger cities.

The façade has smooth stucco finishes popular in southwestern adaptations of the style. The original layout of the building front diverged from the standard Art Deco symmetry with the offsetting of the entryway. The entryway is framed in ceramic mosaic with a traditional southwestern design.

The interior also continues to demonstrate a high level of Art Deco styling. The walls are lined with geometric insets, and the ceiling fixtures are also Art Deco.

Although the original marquee with neon lights is gone, the theater maintains much of its historic integrity. David Chavez recalled that the marquee hung out over the sidewalk, and you could see the upcoming movies from quite a distance away.

By 1964, Fox Intermountain Theaters were no longer providing movies to the State and Rio Grande Theaters. Like many regional theaters during this time, shifting from mainstream Hollywood fare to specialized, independent, or foreign content was a way to adapt to changing audience preferences or economic challenges. When the State Theater closed its doors in 1975 it was showing only Spanish and Mexican movies; the last one advertised in the Las Cruces Sun Times was “Traición en la Frontera” (1973).

Michael Coquat, a graduate student from New Mexico State University founded the Las Cruces Community Theatre in 1963. Having done much acting in other places, he was chagrined to find that Las Cruces had no community theater.

In an effort to establish a community theater group, Coquat called a meeting to see if there were others interested in live theater. There were a dozen or so who showed up. The group staged its first production, “Noah’s Flood,” in the yard of the former St. Genevieve's Church.

In 1964, the group moved into the Fountain of Joy Theater (currently the Fountain Theater in Mesilla), owned by Arthur Fountain. The theater group convinced Mr. Fountain that they could rescue his theater from its fate as a storage room. He agreed but said that they would have to clean it up and find other storage space for his ancient movie projectors, old refrigerators and dried chiles. Meanwhile, he let them stage their second production, “The Man in the Dog Suit,” in the ballroom of his bar.

When LCCT assumed tenancy of the State Theater in 1977 its first play was “Man of La Mancha.” This community theater has preserved the intimate vintage atmosphere while converting the space into a live performance venue. It continues to operate entirely through volunteers, producing high-quality dramas, musicals, and comedies, and providing opportunities for local talent.

Las Cruces Community Theater is considered an integral part of the revitalization and culture of downtown Las Cruces. Now in its 64th season, it is the oldest community theatre in Las Cruces. You can check out its 2026-27 season at https://www.facebook.com/lcctnm/.

This year marks the Diamond Jubilee (75th) anniversary of the construction of the State Theater. This wonderful Art Deco building served as a local hub for entertainment during World War II and the Cold War, survived Urban Renewal and now has come full circle to provide live theater into the 21st century providing relief from the trials of our time, and proving once again that entertainment is essential for human well-being.